Seed of Love: Part 4: Rocky and Cream
by XT-421
Summary: Featuring my swim team  the reason it has to be pg-13 ! Rocky is a troubled orphan in love with Cream the Rabbit. Can he confess his love for her and win her heart? Or is he doomed to failure like most teenaged relationships? Also feat. Capn' Jibbers, me.
1. An Innocent Statement

**Welcome welcome! One and all! I am back from a long and perilous hiatus! I found, over the months, that my ability to write as I once had has vanished. But, in its place, a more eloquent vocabulary exists. What was once whismical and fantastical has devolved into cynical comedy. This story has been described to me by my fans in its trial run as "a parody of my previous works" and I enjoy this style. Incorporated into the story itself, the narrator (me, the likes of which actually has a character of himself in the story) makes a comment or two that affects the plot of the story, or at least the audience's outlook on the plot of the story, from time to time, at least.**

**So, sit back, relax, peel open your eyes and stare at a burning white screen for the next few hours! :D**

* * *

She is an angel, I tell you, the fairest, sweetest creature in the world. Her hair, a light creamy brown, and her eyes, Oh! her eyes, such a lovely hue of tan chocolate.

Cream the Rabbit.

Now you may think me a bit of a creep, but, I am absolutely in love with this girl. There is no doubt in my mind, it is love. From the moment we locked eyes, well, maybe not so much then, but, definitely when I first saw her, it was destined.

Well, maybe not so much then, but, there is definitely a thing between her and I, or, well, maybe more or less from me to her, or…

Oh crap.

So what if she doesn't know my name! So what if she doesn't go to the same school as I do! So what if she doesn't know I exist! So what if… we've… never… oh yes…that point. I've never even let her see me… heh heh…

Well, obsessions aside, my name is Rocky, Rocky the Rabbit. For about an eternity, scratch that, a year, no, scratch that again, ok, more like a week, I have been head over heels for this girl Cream. I'll admit to have stalked her to figure out all of this information, hiding in bushes near her house, and the like, but, I'm not a bad guy! Honest, I'm not! I just _really really _like her, is all. Yeah. So, don't think I'm a bad guy.

And I'm no creepy guy who wants to harm her in some way, no sir! Not one bit! I want to _save _her from those guys who want to force kisses on her, and want to reach their hands all over her, and that kind of stuff. I am the guy who's going to _save_ her from the creepers. I am as honest as a knight in the medieval times! Yep! And if she wanted to give me a kiss for such noble intentions and deeds, YAY! I mean… I would thank her profusely in a calm and dignified manner.

You see, I am a good person. The goodliest of good! And I'm in love with Cream the Rabbit! Hurrah!

But anyways, this is a good story, of my heroic deeds! I'm going to save Cream the Rabbit! I'm going to win her heart through chivalry and noble deeds all in good, humble intentions! I AM going to get a kiss from THE Cream the Rabbit! I mean! WHOA, did I just say that? Oops… I meant to say, I would love to receive that as a reward, yeah… that sounds good!

So Cream, ready or not! Rocky the Rabbit is coming to save you! (Even though you don't need saving yet…)

* * *

**Short, sweet, to the point. Now the REAL intro starts.**

**Next chapter: Meet Rocky!**


	2. Meet Rocky!

**I'll spare you the intro, and will let you read.**

* * *

Rocky sat on the branch, dreamily looking down at the playground. A leaf fell from the branches above, but it hardly fazed him, in fact, it didn't at all. He just kept on dreaming and dazing and gazing along, eying Cream the Rabbit as she came home from school.

The process was sickening, but he didn't care. Everyday he'd rush from his class and bound his way up into the tree. Cream never figured it out, or at least, so he had always presumed, and he could tell by her walk speed, ever constant, that she never felt like she was being stalked or watched in a weird or wrong way.

However, not all was good and great about his plan. A small blob of blue matter floating next to her head always seemed a little finicky near Rocky's tree, and this slightly disturbed him. The blob was Cheese, Cream's pet companion, a Chao, one of the last, it would seem.

Cream loved Cheese for all she could, Rocky knew this and respected it, but, it scared him. He wasn't sure if their friendship was a true love that could interfere with a relationship. If he was to date Cream, he'd want it to be just him.

His blue jeans ruffled on the branch as he slid down, deciding to leave Cream to walk back to her home in peace. He had homework to do, math and science were never his preferred field anyways.

* * *

The moment he walked in the door, he wished he hadn't.

"Rocky! Where have you been!"

The young, chocolate rabbit opened his mouth to speak, but was instantly silenced.

"It doesn't matter! Go! You have so many chores to do!"

"Yes Aunty Lane." Rocky sighed woefully.

Rocky never really knew his parents. Sure, his mother visited him once every few years, but, she was more or less just another visitor. His father was a non-object. As far as he was concerned, he didn't really have one. According to Aunty Lane, his caregiver, who wasn't really his aunt at all, his father was a drunkard and a belligerent, and also a magnet for trouble. It was just another thing to shrug to though. That man had nothing to do with Rocky other than bringing him into this world, therefore, it never really bothered him.

Aunty Lane took care of him at the orphanage at which he lived. There, he had many 'brothers' and 'sisters', but all of them were overly troublesome and usually very unattractive people, inside and out. But of course, Rocky was different. He was a nearly perfect, chivalrous boy looking out for the perfect, innocent princess of his dreams. He was above his 'siblings' in that regard.

The house they lived on was a quaint ranch on the outskirts of town, a short walking distance from the school, but somehow it always took Rocky an hour to get back anyways.

Cream was _far_ more important than any chores.

As Rocky swept the floor, he mentally drew Cream's face into the dust and dirt that was pushed into the air. As the particles dissipated, Rocky sighed longingly. The sun was setting, and that meant he only had a little more time to do his homework. Speeding up his pace in cleaning, he finished his sweeping within a few minutes, and pulled out his math and science homework.

Locked in his bedroom after a small scuffle over shoddy chore-work, Rocky threw on his pajamas and furiously worked to finish his homework before his bedtime, 9:30. Aunty Lane promised him if he made it to 15 he could stay up until 11:00, but, being 14, that was a big if. The problem with this, was it was already 9:25, and he had about an hour and a half of homework to do.

"Rocky, are you finished with your homework yet?"

"Of course Aunty Lane!" Rocky responded innocently, scribbling madly to get his homework done.

"What's that writing I hear then? Are you writing in that stupid diary again?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" How she knew Rocky had a diary was far beyond his comprehension.

"Go to sleep."

Rocky dropped his pencil and hid his homework as the door creaked open and the beady eyes of Aunty Lane burrowed into his.

"Yes Aunty Lane…" Rocky quickly jammed his eyes shut and feigned sleep until the door gently shut, and at least a minute had passed.

Instantly and silently, the math book flew open and the pencil began scribbling again. Never taking the slightest break, and obsessively working towards his goal. When he finally turned off the nightlight, the clock in his small bedroom read 12:20 AM.

* * *

The morning came and Rocky was awakened to the groggy sound of a bell in Aunty Lane's room. This was the signal to wake up. If you missed it, you would have to brave the children who woke up for middle school and elementary school. Rocky had slept in one too many times and knew the truth: it was a far worse punishment to deal with those whiny brats.

Opening his crusty eyes he peered at his room. Everything was as he left in the previous night. No murderers ventured into or out of his closet, no demons were summoned from the carpeting. It was a good night, save his nightmare about Cream.

Sitting up mechanically, he wiped the dried mucous from his eye lids and meandered his way into the bathroom. Oftentimes, he was one of the first two up. The other was his annoying 'sister' Sally, who woke up 40 minutes before him to waste more money on the orphanage's water bill.

"Rocky! How many times do I have to tell you! When I'm in the shower, DON'T COME IN!" This was so much a regular routine that it was the alarm for the other four high-schoolers that had to wake up.

"Uuuungggh." Rocky moaned as he began to brush his teeth, regardless of the female dog in the shower.

"Ooh! I'm going to kill you when I get out of the shower!"

"Unnngh." Rocky responded, finishing his business.

By the time he got to the kitchen, Sally was out of the shower. She had apparently forgotten her threats issued two minutes before. Rocky was making himself a sandwich for lunch, and packing his back dutifully. Getting to school early was essential. He needed to talk with most of his teachers to receive extra help in his classes. If he failed a class, Aunty Lane promised to have him on the streets.

"Rocky, can you help me make my lunch?" A middle schooler asked him.

"I had to learn to make my own lunch, you should too." His only advice.

From wakeup to leaving, it took him fifteen minutes.

* * *

School was boring. It always was. In a given day, Rocky only had five classes to take: Algebra, Biology, Drawing, Psychology, and Composition. He was a great writer, and a great painter. Biology had too many big words, and Algebra was too confusing for him to understand. There were just too many rules.

Normally, he'd begin his day in Algebra, followed shortly by Drawing, where he would spend most of his time mastering his art with mental renderings of Cream the Rabbit. One of his works was actually impressive enough to hung up in the school, which he allowed, but under the stipulation that he was able to take his name off of it; the picture was of Cream in a very romantic light, warm and inviting, with enormous and beautiful eyes. If anyone knew he drew it, they would tease him about liking her.

Then he would enter Biology, where he would sit down and struggle through lessons about mitosis and cellular reproduction; a topic that made no sense to him whatsoever. The last two parts of the day were in Psychology, spent learning about why he was as obsessed as he was, and Composition, story writing.

Today was different.

He walked into his Algebra class, early as always, and he saw a new face talking to the Algebra Teacher. Her tan ears flopped back over her head, and a blue chao hovered between her and her mother.

Rocky froze, Cream the Rabbit now shared a class with him.

He turned around and looked back at the lockers, panicked. _Why is she here? She goes to the school next door. Why is she in my class? Oh my gosh... oh my gosh... she is... so... beautiful..._

Rocky hung around his locker until the bell rang, where he took it upon himself to follow the mass of kids into his math class.

"Class," Mr. Morrison, their human teacher, began, "this is Cream the Rabbit. As you may or may not have heard, a small group of rogue Eggman-Robots has attacked the neighboring school. While the problem is being dealt with, the students from the Forest District will be joining us here in the Plain District to ensure they are safe through this period."

Cream smiled carelessly at the class, and took her seat. Cheese the Chao, however, hovered a moment, eying Rocky down. Obviously, he knew something Cream didn't.

Rocky could identify four immediate threats to Cream in this moment. He was sure that at least three kids in the front row were staring right at her chest while she was up there. _Dirty minded men! I'd teach them! No one touches Cream!_ He had no proof, however, and were this fantasy to take place, he would probably run away scared.

* * *

**I'm trying to paint the picture for you: Rocky is deluded. But that's what makes him funny.**

** Next Chapter: Meet the Swim Team!**


	3. Meet: The Swim Team!

**Here it is, the moment my team has been waiting for all their lives. I FINALLY placed them into a fanfiction of mine! (In fact, they saved it. They make up a staple in the plotline.) Zac, Zach, Karsyn, Christoph, Chris, Drake, Brett, Alex, you name them, everyone in this chapter except for Rocky really are entirely real. Most importantly of all, I, THE Captain Jibbers, am real. Karsyn is the present proponent to making this story flow in real life because this project actually exists as a birthday present for her, and will be presented to her near it. She is actually dating Zach, and yes, they do act similarly to how they do in this story. Oh yes, before I forget:**

**Rocky does NOT belong to me, and this story exists as a commission to a lovely lady named Taismo145 on the Tails and Cosmo Shrine. I promised to write this two and a half years ago, I believe.**

* * *

Throughout the day, he saw Cream a few times, but he never dared talk to her. _What if she thinks I'm creepy? What if that Chao told her about me in the tree? What if she knows I like her? _His mind was fraught with indecisiveness.

"I've got it," he said after lunch, spent entirely on looking indirectly at Cream, "I will ask Karsyn for help."

Of all of the things Rocky did, one of the best was diving. Rabbits were inclined to be good at jumping, and, once this skill was honed, landing, and aerial tricks easily followed. Aunty Lane encouraged him to join the Swim and Dive Team the moment he entered High School. She felt it would give him direction and esteem in life. It did, for the most part. But, he was one of only five divers, three of which were girls, and one of which was so quiet he hardly existed.

Karsyn the Fox was the second best diver on the Swim and Dive Team, an impressive feat considering she was only a sophomore. She and Rocky had become good friends over the season.

With this resolution in mind, Rocky prepared all that he was going to ask of Karsyn in his psychology class. He counted the minutes as they ticked by, watching the halls at every person's passing under the assumption that Cream would be there.

He closed his eyes and relived his nightmare. Cream had been brutally raped and murdered by some awful, morally deprived knave. It frightened him. Where would he be without her? Nowhere. He would die, perish, cease to exist. A life without Cream was no life to live whatsoever. Cream's absence would only make him feel empty each day until he couldn't bear it any longer.

*DING*

School had ended, which meant that swimming had just begun.

It was hard to understand for Rocky, but he had never once actually seen their team coach. He recalled filing documents, having them signed and returned by him for cataloging, and each day the swim team's captain would come in with a letter from the coach, but he never actually saw him.

When they left for swim meets, the coach was never there, he was always apparently very ill, but he managed to send off a roster as to who swam what and what diver dived which dive. But he _never_ once saw him.

The moment Rocky entered the pool house, the first thing he noticed was Zac the Insane Squirrel, still lapping back and forth in the pool. Lane six was his territory. The pool had only 6 lanes, and the fastest swimmers went in the higher labeled names. Rocky, occasionally, would swim, and that is how he knew the ranking system. Zac was legendary in his speed. His elongated body majestically sailed through the water with each stroke and allowed him victory in nearly 50 continuous races. The second thing he saw was the diving well, and a young, attractive fox looking straight at him.

"Rocky! Hello!" Karsyn hopped up and down, tail moving with her as she did, at the sight of Rocky's appearance.

"Hello Karsyn." Rocky blinked once at Karsyn. Even though Karsyn was a fine looking white fox, and in a swimsuit atop all of that, he was incapable of feeling attraction towards anyone but Cream. "I need to ask you something."

"Yes, what is it?" Karsyn smiled.

"OH MY DARLING! Hast du mich vermissen? Haha!" Laughter echoed through the pool as the doors to the locker room burst open.

It was Captain Joe, the shortest swim captain the school had ever known. He was still tall, by most regards, but a few kids on the team towered over him in comparison. But, to his team, he was known as Captain Jibbers, the Seadog.

He was a brown mutt who lived with his brother in an abandoned shack in the city limits. They both swam, he and his brother, and they both played video games together, cheating systems and ripping off people on the internet for cheap money to spend on their toys. Besides each other, they had the swim team as a family, beyond that, nothing.

"Welcome one! Welcome all! My humble kingdom lies ripe for ruling." He cheered, standing on the diving block in lane one, overlooking the entire pool.

"Captain Jibbers, what are you doing?" Brett the Otter asked. Brett's main stroke was the breaststroke, and was a frequent team rival of the captain.

"Hoy!" Jibbers howled as he dove into the pool, beginning his tirade through the water.

Dalton, his brother, held his head low in shame, walking out with a few of the other swimmers, particularly Zach the Dog and Garret the Beaver. Zach was a dog too, just like the captain and his brother, but he was smaller, destined genetically for shortness and annoyingness; as was the case of all underclassmen, apparently. Garret was a legally blind beaver, he was a good swimmer in his own respect, but he was from a neighboring school, and wasn't always well received by the other swimmers.

After the girls entered the pool, led by Alex and Katie both sleek otters, the other star of the swim team showed up. Christoph the Bear. He was a lean bear from a foreign land; he was enlisted as an exchange student and packed incredible amounts of power into his stroke. He almost could beat Crazy Zac in a race, but, almost.

"Ah, good to see that Zac is devoted as ever. How you holding up buddy?" Joe patted Zac on the back.

"Augh! When did you guys get here?" Zac twitched.

"Nah, don't worry about it. The set for the day is on the board, I made sure of it." Joe looked towards the board and watched as Dalton taped the day's set up.

"Zach!" Karsyn bounded over to the swimming pool, leaving Rocky to his immediate dives.

The two neared embrace. For nearly half a year Karsyn and Zach had been going out, and they loved each other dearly.

"Ew, get away from me!" Zach dove in the pool.

Although, some days were definitely more caring than others.

"Fine jerk, see if I care if you don't want a hug from your girlfriend. Humph!" Karsyn strutted back into the diving well, leaving the swimmers to swim their sets. "He can be such an asshole sometimes." Karsyn muttered as she moped near the diving well.

"I'm sorry." Rocky whispered.

"Oh don't be, he'll come around." Karsyn smiled a toothy grin, "What was this you were going to tell me again?"

"Oh! That's right... well... there is this girl that I really like, and she is in my math class. I guess I kinda need help with it."

"Ooh! Pretty?"

"She has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen." Rocky awed.

"Cute! Well, you've got to talk to her! You've got to be her friend!"

"But I've already like, stalked her."

"You stalked her? Oh no... Rocky! Why would you do that to a girl! They hold nothing but contempt and horror for stalkers!" Karsyn sighed.

"Yeah, but, I mean she was so pretty when I saw her walking down the path, and ever since, well, I love her!" Rocky smiled haphazardly.

"Rocky, Rocky, Rocky, this is not good. You _have_ to talk to her. What's her name? I'll introduce you to her."

"No! You can't do that! What if she doesn't like me?" Rocky panicked, knees shaking.

"What is her name?" Karsyn growled, eyes becoming absolutely ferocious.

"Cream the Rabbit, please don't eat me."

Karsyn may have been a lithe, little diver, but she was as monstrous as a dragon when she was angry. "Very good! Now I'm going to become her friend. It is so easy!"

"No! What if she-"

"Rocky, shut up. I've got this." Karsyn assured him. "That's the end of it. If you're going to say anything more today, it won't be about Cream the Rabbit.

Needless to say, Rocky didn't say much until practice was over.

Silently, he went home, did his chores, did his homework, and completed another day of misery. Upon closing his eyes, the last lights of the day faded out of existence, and he entered a restful, dreamy sleep, plump with dreams of Algebra and Cream.


	4. Devious Ambitions

**Now to address another front or purpose of this story... If you haven't guessed, this story acts as a comedica bridge between SoL.3 and SoL.5. A lot of strange things have changed between those two stories, including the sudden presence of a Damian Robotnik, son/clone of Eggman! Gosh! How did he get here? Well, this story helps explain that, along with a few other things (loyal readers will know what I'm talking about as the story develops.)**

* * *

The report had it that it was a rogue group of Eggman's Robots that had assaulted the school in the Forest District. This was not entirely true.

It was a mostly known fact that Doctor Ivo Robotnik, locally known as Eggman due to his rotund shape and size, had been killed nearly 5 years ago. Most everyone attributed this to Sonic the Hedgehog, although he claimed he never killed a soul. Since then, Sonic the Hedgehog had yet to be seen. However, to assume that the aspiring Eggman Empire had been abolished was a faulty conclusion.

Eggman made sure that his throne would be occupied, no matter what.

6 years ago, Ivo's age began to wear on him. He had experienced so much space travel and world domination attempts that even his own birthday was forgotten, and his age with it. He was getting old, and he knew it. Time, like Sonic, was a foe he could not defeat. But, he could _bypass_ it.

Damian Robotnik was his greatest creation. A biological genetic experiment and a pioneer project in cloning, Damian was a cloned version of Doctor Eggman. Designed to be exactly like the maniacal genius in almost every way, Damian was a younger Doctor Eggman. He was fitter, constantly urged on by his "father's" robots that took care of him, and he was growing smarter with each day. Though he was brought into the world barely 6 years ago, he had the body of a 15 year old or so, another quirk in the genetic engineering.

Doctor Ivo Robotnik knew that he wanted his clone to outlast him, so he had modified its growth pattern. More durable than the average human, Damian could hypothetically last 150 years or so. The clone had two stages, a growth phase, and a latency age. In the growth stage, he would grow at an alarming rate, physically and mentally. In about 10 years, he would be a grown adult. The latency stage was a dormant stage for growth, his biological processes would slow down, but remain functional, keeping him aging at a rate half that of the average human. Eventually, this process would probably wear out, and his aging would accelerate again, but it would take a long while for the hormones to fail.

Until that time, Damian was a growing mad scientist, in need of his own life.

The robots that took care of him also obeyed his commands, especially since he was beginning to think like his creator. Together, he and his robots overtook the Forest District School in hopes of pillaging it and converting it into a bastion of science and technology.

The reason this school was targeted was Miles Prower's fault. He often donated some of his extra tools and technological advances to the nearby school for children to learn from and teachers to utilize. Robotic husks and specialized tools could be found in a vast laboratory in the school. However 'large' it was, it was puny compared to the twin tailed fox's home workshop.

Because of his rich donations, Damian realized he could utilize those technologies and repurpose them to strengthen his robot posse. He did just that.

In a matter of days, the boy genius had weaponized the entire school.

"Damian," one of his robot caretakers began, "the security cameras have been fitted with your lasers. Any intruders will be severely burned if not killed."

"Very good. Now I can work without worrying about some moron cop coming in and ruining everything." Damian sighed, sitting down on a cot in the laboratory.

The windows had been fused shut, and all of the doors were barred or refitted with vault-like gates. The school was a fortress.

Each classroom was a new storage unit for new projects. Flying machines, burrowing machines, robots, weapons, anything and everything the boy could think up. Presently, a large vessel was being created in gymnasium. It wasn't on the scale of production as Doctor Ivo Robotnik's Egg Carrier, but, when completed, would suffice as a large, mobile base for Damian when he sought isolation to construct his own army.

With his legs crossed, looking at the ceiling, the little Eggman began to wonder.

_Why I am here? My creator wanted me to avenge him, to kill Sonic... How do I do that? Well, let's think._

He sat up and began flipping through his books. Archived with him were the exploits of all who came before him. Weapons, machines, mechanical units and other projects used to defeat Sonic.

"The way I see it, I will look at what almost work, identify why it didn't work, fix it, then recreate it for him!"

Damian was mechanically obsessed with his goal to avenge his family. The only things he wouldn't miss for this oncoming epiphany were meals and bathroom breaks. He would sit there for days, analyzing and reading, if he had to.


	5. A Teammate in Need

**One just never knows with Captain Jibbers...**

* * *

Captain Jibbers flipped off his welding mask as he heard a few knocks on the door.

"C'mon in!" He called from the garage.

Drake the Rabbit entered the room. Drake was massive, and, reportedly unlike a rabbit in all ways other than one: the rate at which he attempted to reproduce. Drake was an electrical engineer and a very intellectual person when it came to computers. His captain had requested him.

"Ah, Drake! Good to see you!" Jibbers jumped out and shook his hand with a sly grin on his face. Soot covered the seadog's cheeks and neck.

"Your truck?" Drake asked, looking at the white pickup in the middle of the garage.

"Yes sir, Lieutenant! Ever since I crashed into that tree, I decided to fix this baby up. Good old gasoline has its perks, you know. It's got more torque than the standard electric car, and generates its own electricity for other uses."

"You said you needed my electrical engineering skills?" Drake asked.

"About that... You see, I have these plans... come and see." Jibbers walked drake over to a poorly lit desk in the corner of the room.

"Weapons? Where the heck will you get those?"

"Already got them. A few of that kooky Doctor Eggman's robots were found in a nearby junkyard. That's where I supply myself. The way I see it, he's not using them anymore."

"What the devil will you used an armed truck for?" Drake insisted.

"You never know Drake, you never know."

Jibbers smiled wildly, and flipped his mask back on. Joyously, he bounded over to another section of his cramped garage, and began welding together yet another modification to the beauty in the room.

* * *

Rocky was troubled. For about a week he had been sitting three seats behind and one seat to the left, of Cream the Rabbit, yet he hadn't found a reason to talk to her yet. Opportunities _might_ have arisen, but he cowered before them. _Is that normal?_ He would often ask himself.

The brown rabbit had always imagined the first meeting between a guy and the girl he was going to date to follow a pattern more along the lines of this:

Girl gets knocked over by _reckless_ kids running in the halls. Her books get strewn about the room. A dashing man strides in to save the day. "Hello, let me help you," he would say, eliciting a blush from the girl. "My name is Rocky, nice to meet you."

Hypothetically speaking, a date would follow, then a romantic, passion-filled evening with kissing and hugging and cuddling. Then they would get married and have twelve children.

At least, that was how it generally played out in his mind. _Occasionally,_ he would stop himself, and realize that he'd never even spoke to her, and that marriage, if not a stupid idea, was a hasty one. His daily mental ravings about Cream, and the seventeen new pictures he had drawn of her, caused him to seek help once more.

"Karsyn, I need your help." Rocky muttered quietly, the pool thundering with the sound of twenty pairs of legs kicking against the water.

"Yes Rocky?" Karsyn was fairly confident that Rocky had no idea this was going to be his sixth time asking her about tips for asking Cream out.

"How should I ask her out? Like, I mean... How should I go about talking to her and stuff?"

"Rocky, Lord you're annoying. For one, you just talk to her like it isn't a big deal! If it isn't a big deal to her, she'll talk to you again. You get it?"

"But it _is_ a big deal! She is Cream the Rabbit!"

_*SLAP*_

"Ow!" Rocky moaned.

"And _that_ is why she'll think you're creepy! Uuuugh! Boys are so annoying!" Karsyn stormed off to skulk in the hot tub.

Rocky looked down at the ground, dejectedly.

_I want to get help on this, but no one seems to be behind me on this matter._

"So, sounds like you've got girl troubles." A voice uttered from above him.

Rocky looked up to see Captain Jibbers, muzzle pointed to the sky, looking down at him, behind him stood the entire Speedo-clad swim team.

"Well, we have a general solution to that sort of problem, don't we guys?" Jibbers asked the team.

"Oh yes we do." Everyone started smiling.

Rocky looked rather confused.

"What are you guys planning?"

"Heh heh." Jibbers chuckled, thinking of how to prepare Rocky for his first Pasta Party as a swim team member. "So, you're a member of the swim and dive team now, correct?"

"Yes."

"And how long have you been on this team?"

"A month or so."

"And we have yet to have a swim meet, correct?"

"Yes."

"So listen up, and all of you freshman idiots listen up too, because this is important!" Jibbers announced triumphantly. "To prepare for a swim meet, we have to be ready and prepared! Well fed! Well nourished! Well rested! To engage in activities to achieve these goals, we act as a team in a unified party."

"A party?" Rocky doubted the ability of a party to prepare a swimmer for a swim meet.

"Yes. We each bring a dish to the party, we eat said dishes, and we rest around, not really doing too much physical activity. Occasionally, we bring our girlfriends."

Rocky blushed, "but she's not my-"

"Ahteteteteta," Jibbers silenced, "Me equals talking, you equals shutting up." He smiled. "As I was saying, we occasionally bring our girlfriends. Now, in a little while, we will be having our first pasta party, because we are having our first swim meet soon. Christoph the Bear has offered his host family's house for the taking. Luckily for us, it isn't too far away. Tomorrow evening, the party will be taking place. I expect all of you to be there," he turned around, glaring at everyone. "Attendance is practically mandatory."

"So, wait, what does this have to do with Cream?"

"Ok, get back to the pool guys." Jibbers called, waiting for everyone to filter back into the pool. In a microsecond, lane six was already ablaze with white water from Zac the Insane.

"This is how it is going to work. I am going to casually ask her to come to this party. She is a girl, she'll want to come, especially asked by the captain of a sport's team."

"But it's the swim te-"

"That is of no consequence! She doesn't necessarily have to know WHAT I'm the captain of, does she?" He never lost that smile of his.

"So she'll be there?"

"And so will you!"

"At a party?"

"Bring an extra pair of clothes."

"... What?" Rocky was stunned for a moment, and in that period of time, Jibbers had launched himself off the high dive and was at the bottom of the pool, possibly shedding.

Needless to say, Rocky was scared.

* * *

The moment Rocky entered his home, his delusions of Cream were immediately dashed as he entered a warzone.

"You wretched kids! How could you make such a mess!" Aunty Lane fumed as Rocky dodged a strange black goopy substance being thrown from one of the littler children.

He sighed, and ran off to his room as quickly as he could. His room had been broken into by the tiny children, and promptly trashed. It would take a lot of his spare time to clean it.

Sweeping a pile of random broken toys and other thrown clutter off his desk, he placed his math book down and began working on his homework. His assignment sheet was cluttered with erased scribbles of Cream the Rabbit. He had doodled too much while in an altered state of consciousness known to the common adolescent as infatuation.

"Quadratic... formula..." Rocky mumbled, penciling in an iconic formula, "A, B, C... erg... Math sucks."

It took twelve minutes to think his way through one problem. Halfway through the required thirty, a bellowing roar echoed across the house.

"ROCKY! GET OUT OF THAT ROOM THIS INSTANT!" It was Aunty Lane.

"Crap, and I was just getting the hang of it too." Rocky mumbled as he marked his page and closed his math book. Walking outside, he looked at his 'siblings' gathering before a very angry Aunty Lane.

"I _know_ you had something to do with this Rocky! These kids can't be completely diabolical, they _had_ to have had organization!"

"I was at diving practice Aunty Lane!" Rocky's jaw dropped.

"Don't backsass me." She glared, "Even if it wasn't you, you hold the responsibilities of being one of the oldest here. You should set a better example for these little kids to follow."

"As if... I can't wait to leave..." Rocky mumbled barely audibly.

"What was that?" Aunty Lane snapped.

"Nothing, nothing. So, do you want me to help organize the clean up?" Rocky asked, completely unenthused.

"Nope, you are to actually clean this mess up."

Rocky's face fell. "Really? But I-" _Oh, what's the point? She won't listen to me either way._ "Ok." Rocky agreed, defeated.

So, Rocky bent over and began cleaning up the random mud splatters that the children had created throughout the house. In less than two minutes, he, and four other kids whom he refused to call siblings were on their knees scrubbing away at the mess. The clutter was being handled by the little kids, and Aunty Lane was organizing the rabble.

It didn't take long for that to change either.

"Ok kids, get some sleep." Aunty Lane said as she shooed the little ones off to bed.

"Thank you!" Rocky proclaimed in an exasperated manner.

Aunty Lane stopped him, however, "Where do you think you're going?" She questioned.

"To bed?" Rocky was confused.

"Oh no, sonny, you still have work to do."

"But-!" Rocky cried out in desperation.

"No buts! This floor isn't going to clean itself, you know."

"Yes Ma'am." Rocky, once again, lowered his head down in shame, ears drooping more than normal.

And so the night dragged on and on as such. Rocky did not manage to finish his homework, and the clock read 1:00 AM by the time he managed to finish his housecleaning duties.


	6. You're Invited!

**No real comments, have fun. Live life. Blaaaaaaarg.**

* * *

Rocky woke up some time later, and found that somehow, he had managed to pack his bag and waltz halfway to school. Unsure whether or not he was late to his first hour or not, he quickened his pace, and rushed off to school.

He ran across the plains with feral speed until he reached the school doors. _7:10, man I am early. Did I even eat breakfast?_ School did not begin for another half hour.

Rocky decided this would be an optimal time to finish his homework. Unfortunately for fellows like Rocky, Karma was not something he generally benefited from.

"Rocky, is that last night's homework assignment?"

"Mr. Morrison! I can explain! I had to clean-!" Rocky exclaimed hopelessly.

"No excuses! If that isn't completely done by the time that bell rings, you will receive an F on it!" Mr. Morrison. growled.

"I-" Rocky just let out a sigh and went to work. When cornered, he was known to become complacent, not combinative.

"Mr. Morrison! Ah! The memories!" A familiar voice sung.

"Joe! My favorite student!" Mr. Morrison. spoke with the same enthusiasm as the Captain entered the room. "I heard you were given the honor of swim team captain this year?"

"Of course! All of that quick counting I learned in Algebra helped me count my sets faster, and therefore makes me a natural leader." Jibbers twirled as he entered the room, overjoyed about life. He donned a pair of dorky, tan cargo pants, black sunglasses, and a t-shirt that had the words 'Math! Nothing 2B2 of.' on it. Mr. Morrison. chuckled as she read it.

"So what brings you back to this class?" He asked intently.

"Ah, a certain lady whom I wish to invite to a party later tonight." He answered nonchalantly.

"I'll put in a good word for you perhaps?" Mr. Morrison offered.

Rocky watched intently as Jibbers flipped off his sunglasses, winked at Rocky, and flipped the sunglasses back on. "Nah, I think I've got it handled." He sniffled as if detecting a foul odor. "Oh no... I thought I told him to..."

Zach the Mutt strolled into the class as well. "Captain Jibbers!" He cheered joyously.

"Moron, I don't want help inviting her."

"You can be such a jerk sometimes!" Zach frowned, then, as if someone had hit a 'reset' button on his train of thought, he smiled and held out his hand to be shaken.

Jibbers shook his paw and whacked him on the head. "What was that for?" Zach whined.

"For being you."

Rocky laughed.

"Can it freshman." Zach growled.

"Now Zach, remember what I told you about freshman?"

"Let you handle it..." Zach mumbled, looking down, repeating a long embedded code. "But I swear, if you don't take control of them-"

"The only one who needs controlling is-" The ears of Rocky, Zach, and Jibbers all twitched as a fifth presence entered the Algebra class.

"Mr. Morrison., I'm not sure I quite got question five of last night's homework." A certain cream-colored rabbit asked sincerely.

_That is great! I understood that one! Now... I have to prepare a way for me to explain that I know the answer... but that would involve talking to her. Maybe if I talk to Mr. Morrison first by asking him a question about-_

"Aha! Lemme see." Jibbers was instantly around Cream looking at the question in the book. "Ah! Watch this!" The witty captain was at the board in moments, talking as he went. "You see, math is purely mechanical, you know your rules, everything comes into place. One _could_ relate it to relationships, though not a perfectly mechanical, one must obviously know the rules before playing the game." Cream, Rocky, and Zach were in awe as a thorough, proof-ridden answer formed on the board, "Likewise, in math, one must master the simple rules before trying to solve a problem."

He smiled.

"Impressive." Cream admitted.

"You should see the rest of my abilities. Actually," Jibbers began, "I am here because of you. Word 'round the block is that-"

"You are really hot." Zach blurted out. Jibbers lightly smacked the dog's forehead.

"That you are from the Forest District. A couple of guys and I-"

"A whole sports team that he's the captain of-" Zach added incessantly.

"Shut up," Jibbers warned in a friendly manner, "will be hosting a party tonight, and we would like to hear stories from the forest district, and all of those fascinating rumors about-"

"You'll come right?" Zach questioned.

"Uh," Cream looked at Zach, then looked at Jibbers, "sure, I'll see what I can do."

"It will be at this address." Jibbers scribbled something down. "We all will be _delighted _to be graced by your presence."

"Tonight at...?"

"Six." Zach said.

"Yes, sure." Cream agreed.

"Hear that Rocky? This lovely lady is coming to our awesome party! Hahahaha!" Jibbers cheered.

Cream turned around, just alerted to the entity that was behind her. For, possibly the first time in history, the eyes of Cream the Rabbit and Rocky the Rabbit met. Rocky looked at her for what he deemed an eternity, and then his face flushed a deep red hue, and to focused on working on his homework. Unfortunately for him, women are uncannily perceptive.

They just never alert you to _what_ exactly they know.

Cream turned, the moment over, and Jibbers was already erasing his work.

"You know miss," Zach began, flipping his hair back, "this party will be really awesome."

Cream looked up, but barely acknowledged them. Jibbers looked to the doorway at a sixth figure in the room.

"Are all of the girl's in the forest section as pretty as you?"

"Zach." The words came cold, hard, and unrelenting.

Zach tried to turn, but was held partially paralyzed by the basilisk stare of the teenage girl to whom he was entrusted to.

"Karsyn, hi, uh..."

"In today's vernacular: Boyfriend fail is fail." Jibbers commented as he continued his erasing.

In a moment, Zach's ear was being pulled out of the room by a girl a foot shorter than him. "How could you possibly do this to me? You're my boyfriend! I'm your girlfriend! You called her pretty! How dare you!" The stream of profanities was just beginning.

"Well, I believe that is my cue to leave. See you at the party, Ms. Rabbit."

And with that, Mr. Morrison, Cream, and Rocky were left in the room alone.

And a moment after that, the bell rung.

"Rocky, are you done with that assignment?" Mr. Morrison asked coldly.

While watching his captain and superior argue and flirt with Cream, Rocky became aware of a special phenomenon: when he was focusing on one thing, he was incapable of focusing on another thing. Therefore, he had spent all of his time watching Jibbers and Zach argue instead of doing his homework.

"Well, Mr. Morrison, I-"

"F for the day, Mr. Rabbit!"

Rocky's mouth dropped, but he realized, such was the fate of a miserable rabbit.


	7. Who is She?

**This is most obviously NOT a bridge chapter! *shifty eyes***

* * *

Damian looked at the program with wonder.

Gerald Robotnik had spent his entire life working on a secret government project, a project that Damian now had his hands on.

"Shadow, the World's Ultimate Lifeform. How ingenious." Damian commented absently. "But the man cheated," he observed, looking at the secret dealings with cosmic entities. "How was I created... I was built with Chaos Genes inside of me to help accelerate my growth... Chaos Genes from the Chaos Emeralds... yes... hmm."

Damian stuffed the computer program away and left the computer unattended. He dashed to a small library in the school where he began throwing books left and right, attempting to find a certain text to verify his thoughts.

"A Chao. A Chao is a small mythical being of purity... They are completely and utterly adaptable... adaptable..." Damian read the book carefully over and over again, analyzing the presumed biology of Chao.

None had ever before been operated on, they were spiritual creatures.

"Do they really exist? I've never seen one. They claim to be found in 'Chao Gardens', isolated areas where purity and prosperity reign... Bah! Useless!" Damian growled as he through the book behind him. Another idea wasted.

Then Damian stopped. Before him was a picture of 'heroes' of old. Sonic, he arch nemesis stood atop a defeated mech with a couple of his friends. Damian looked closer. _A twin tailed fox, an echidna with rock hard fists, a rabbit, a pink- wait a moment... what is that thing flying near that rabbit's head?_

Damian picked the book back up off the ground and compared shapes.

"She has a pet Chao that follows her around."

Damian looked at the girl. The picture was old, at least seven years old. The girl would have to be in high school by now.

"Who is she?"


	8. Pasta Party

**Yes, the swim team's pasta parties honestly involve more activities, however, due to certain restrictions on , I am unable to write about them. I promise you, there was co-ed nudity at AT LEAST one pasta party, and this isn't even including our extra parties. B)**

**Enjoy the madness!**

* * *

_ROAR_

A fiery explosion ripped through the air. Immediately people's faces were plastered against the window to see what was going on.

"Ah," Jibbers exuberantly exclaimed as Chris the Bear slammed the door of his monstrous car.

Chris the Bear, not to be mistaken with Christoph the Bear, was an anthro of larger stature. He was a newcomer to the team, but he was well-received. Jibbers only wished he had as much power in the pool as he did on the road.

"I see you're still driving the Chrismobile." Jibbers chuckled heartily.

"Yes indeed." Chris confirmed, entered the house like a gentle giant.

"Downstairs they are hosting most of the activities, I am waiting for the special guest."

"Cream?" Chris asked.

"Yes indeed."

"Are we still-"

"More than likely." Jibbers acknowledge preemptively with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh good, I brought some materials for that." Chris vanished into the basement.

The captain peered through the windows carefully. Behind him, Rocky stood, looking equally intent.

"Maybe something happened to her..." Rocky began to worry.

"Rocky, Rocky, Rocky..." Jibbers shook his head, "the party started less than five minutes ago, and she knows she is an extra guest. Psychologically speaking, she is less inclined to hurry herself, and will probably be arriving a little bit later than what normally is considered late."

Rocky just shut up. _She probably doesn't want to come because she knows I've been watching her and is scared of me... It's all my fault._ Rocky moped.

_*SLAP_*

"Ow! What was that for?" Rocky whined.

"Get downstairs and do something so you don't look like an idiot waiting for her."

"You're right! Thanks Captain." Rocky walked downstairs to a musky smell of wet animal and chlorine. _It actually smells kinda nice._ Rocky thought as he entered the mythical party.

It was absolute and utter chaos save one section of the room. In a dimly lit corner, a few guys were playing a card game known as "Euchre". There were two groups of four going. One contained mainly freshman, and was a little rowdier than the hardcore euchre players. The other one, the more hardcore group, consisted of Zac the Insane, Brett the Otter, Christoph the Bear, and Drake the Rabbit. They were silent save only the euphemisms they uttered for playing the game.

The underclassmen had created a game in the hall to be observed by the girls and the upperclassmen, where two misfortunate combatants would sit a good distance apart from one another, legs spread wide, and try to hit the other person between the legs with random objects handed to them. It made no sense whatsoever, but was thoroughly entertaining to watch two kids harm each other in ways men normally shouldn't be harmed.

Rocky walked over to a couch, where a small group of kids were playing the latest game system on a large television. In another corner of the room, he saw clothes strewn about, laying atop chairs and coat racks. He spied a cracked door, and was very curious as to what had occurred moments before he had arrived. He was more curious when some of the articles of clothing included bras and boxers.

Keeping an eye on the stairwell leading downstairs, he got up to grab some food, and sat back on the couch.

"Wahoo!" Someone yelped as they flew over him.

"Get back here!" Another yelled as the pushed the couch to chase after the kid who was apparently just thrown over three rows of chairs.

"This is crazy..." Rocky mumbled, gobbling down his pasta.

"Hey Rocky!" it was Karsyn.

"Hey Karsyn. Did you and Zach-"

"Can you believe him? He was flirting with that chick before school! That girl wasn't even that pretty!" Karsyn growled, looking in the general direction of Zach.

"That was Cream, she is very beautiful."

"OH! That was Cream?" Karsyn hopped excitedly. "So wait..."

"Yeah, Zach was trying to help Jibbers get her to come over to this party."

"But... we don't invite non-swimmers or divers to these parties..."

"Greetings everyone!" Jibbers bellowed from above the stairs.

"Hello Captain!" Many shouted back.

"This is Cream the Rabbit, she is to be treated well, understand? She'll be hanging out with us tonight, she heard the rumors of how wild our parties get and decided to come." Whooping cheers followed. "Go get some pasta, I'll be with you in a minute." He walked whispered to Cream before heading over to the euchre table. "May I step in?"

Rocky's eyes were completely fixated upon her. It was a sickening process, but he hardly had a choice it seemed. The smell, her smell, was intoxicating over the general stench. She had an aura that caused his eyes to gravitate to her, even when he looked away he could still see her in his mind's eyes. Then, after realizing that he had been looking at her, he looked away, ashamed.

Rocky sat, moping silently and mentally as he slowly cycled through the terrible cycle that all obsessed boys go through. It was an unavoidable downfall. After being run through the cycle at least four times, Rocky finally oriented himself such that he couldn't look at Cream anymore, and forced himself to watch the TV screen as some kids played the most recent video game system.

If you were a stalker, you'd understand why what Rocky did had an adverse affect on his focusing on Cream. While he took his eyes off Cream, his mind remained fixated on her. Every sound, every smell, every presumed action that occurred behind him from the dropping of a fork to the opening of a door WAS Cream. He would turn every half minute to check up on her, as if monitoring a status report on a celebrity.

It was truly a lost cause.

* * *

Jibbers had the deck properly shuffled in an instant. _Ok, deal. 4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4. Eucher. Each person gets 5 cards. 4 in the kitty. Turn up. Jack of Diamonds._

"Pass"

"Pick it up."

_Picked up. Setting trump: Diamonds. Card order. Jack, Jick, Ace, King, Queen, Ten, Nine. I have Jack and Queen of Diamonds. Estimation, partner has Jack of hearts, Ace, or King. Game starts with my left._

"Ace of Spades."

_I must throw down a spade, if not, a diamond if my partner does not leading the trick. Watching... Ace, King, Jack of spades. I have a Ten of Spades, I must play it. Damn, he wins the trick. New card... Queen of spades. Foolish. Now I can use trump. Partner lays... Ten of diamonds. Great. I don't have to waste mine. Victim two? Nine of hearts. No trump, no spades. He'll be easy._

"Nine of clubs." Jibbers announced. _Partner takes trick._

_Partner lays down Ace of Hearts. Ok... I have no hearts. Player three uses King of Hearts. Ok ok... Player one, victim one, he has a trump card to beat him... ok... laying trump._

"Jack of diamonds."

"Shit! Jibbers!"

He snickered.

_Next up, Queen of Diamonds. _

"Ace of Diamonds." _I knew it!_

"Jick of Diamonds." _I knew it!_ Jibbers smiled wickedly.

"Crap..."

"That's three, that's a wrap. One point." Jibbers announced, distracted as he watched Karsyn and Zach snuggle in the corner under the imaginary thought that they were alone.

The game started again, and Jibbers ignored them.

* * *

"So you were just pretending, right?" Karsyn asked worriedly.

"Of course." Zach assured. "I told you I was, didn't I?"

This was not a good statement to make. By assuring a shakey settlement with such confidence was an indication that it was being faked, and therefore, he was lying.

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not." He felt cornered, worse move. Why would he be cornered if he had nothing to hide?

"Why are you acting scared?" Karsyn's eyes squinted.

"Oh my gosh, just stop. I don't like her. I only like you Karsyn!"

"Then why did you kiss that one girl that one time?"

"I... uhhh..." Busted.

"Uggh!" Karsyn ran from his lap and darted into a crowd.

"Karsyn!" Zach got up to go follow her.

* * *

"Ok, game over!" Jibbers threw the cards on the table.

"Ack!"

"What was that for?" Someone asked angrily.

"Everyone! Party time!"

A few people shouted, a few people whooped, and quite a few guys, and one or two girls, took their shirts off and began parading around the room chaotically.

It made no sense to Rocky, it made less sense to Cream.

Jibbers led a small bandwagon towards Zach, and another led by one of the girls with her shirt off charged Karsyn. Together the two groups met tightly, pressing the feuding lovebirds together, and the group shoved them into a closet in the far side of the room, locking them in together.

Some junior took this initiative to begin a dance party by starting up a game system on the TV. The mob of people tried to mimic the person dancing on the screen with hysteric smiles on their faces. It was an arguable point that they were legally insane.

Creams eyes bulged. Boys and girls were performing obscene dances half naked in front of her. It was far too much to take in. She had had enough. She finished her last bits of pasta and began to walk up the stairs.

Rocky watched, devastated, as if it was something he had done. Ironically, he had just missed his chance to talk to her. The two thought the exact same thing at the exact same time. Rocky took no part in the shirtlessness and all activities pertaining to it. Had he fled the scene and sat next to Cream, it would've been highly conceivable that the madness of the swim team would've unified them as good friends at the least.

**(A/N: But alas, if that were to happen, I probably wouldn't be writing this story...)**

But alas, Rocky just isn't that lucky.

The moment the door to the basement was opened and shut, the activities were called to a halt by Jibbers.

"What?"

"Why'd you stop?"

"Ok, ok ok! We, as a swim team, look to our fellows and support them, correct?" Jibbers asked.

"Yeah, sounds about right." A wise senior agreed.

"So, when Rocky the Rabbit likes a girl, what do we do?"

"Uhh..."

"Help him out you numbnuts!" Jibbers barked. "So here's what we're gonna do... We are going to dress up in these outrageous burglar costumes, and we are going to pretend to mug Cream on her way home."

"How will we get there before-"

"Ohhh! She'll take the road because she doesn't know the shortcut through the small forest!"

"Exactly," Jibbers agreed. "So, who's all with us?"

"So wait, you're going to mug her?" Rocky asked worriedly.

"Yes, but you will save her from us, right?" Jibbers winked.

"I get it! So you'll let me beat up on you guys?"

"Well, beat up the actors first, they'll make dramatic noises to make it seem more epic." Jibbers nodded.

"I have the costumes!" Chris announced.

"Ahhh, but first..." Jibbers announced, making his way to the barred closet, wrenching it open.

Karsyn and Zach were caught in the moment. They were in the middle of some serious making out. Her hair was disheveled, his face was dazed, her shirt looked like it was down a tad further than normal, and when he turned around to face them, it was obvious that his belt buckle was unbuckled.

"I swear!" It took Karsyn a few seconds to recollect her breath, as if she had not breathed in a long while, "he was showing me how cool his carseat belt is."

"Huh. Yeah. Sure." Jibbers sarcastically agreed, shutting the door back on them.

As the group filtered away to get costumes, Rocky slid upstairs to chase down Cream. The closet door slowly reopened, and two sheepish looking teenagers emerged.

* * *

Rocky ran outside and followed the road. That was, according to his peers, the route Cream would take.

He wasn't sure what he should do though. _Do I follow her? Do I wait for the attack and then save her? How will I know when to get her? Will she scream? I don't want that, yikes... Maybe I should follow her... but what if she sees me? She'll think I'm a freaky stalker or something!_

_Maybe I can watch her from afar and wait for her to be attacked by the guys... Yeah, I'll do that._

So, he did what any obsessed teenager would do, he ran after her until she came into view, and slowly crept up on her. He followed her in secret, waiting for his teammates to attack her.

* * *

Jibbers led the attack. Dressed in black from head to toe, along with at least seven of his swimmer allies, he climbed a tree along the path, waiting for Cream to come in range. It was all planned out in advanced, and it was a good plan, or so they all thought.

Jibbers snickered silently as Cream walked right underneath him.

It was a twelve foot drop, but it was an easy one. Had he not made noise, Cream would never have seen him. Chris the Bear dropped down too, also dressed in black.

"Hand us your money, babe." _The babe is essential. It makes the confrontation sexual, therefore leading her into an even more defensive stance._

"Yeah, do as he says." Chris brandished a knife that he had forged earlier in the week.

Cream took a step back, her Chao making a menacing stance above her right shoulder. It was at this moment the ingenious swim team captain realized his plan was about to fail. She was a very, very tough girl for her size and stature. She was going to fight. She had been pushed too far.

Cheese lunged at Chris and knocked his knife out of his hand, and Cream began a roundhouse kick aimed for Jibbers. One more kid dropped down, and grabbed Cream from behind, while Cheese began gnawing at the face of Chris. Jibbers assisted Chris immediately squeezing Cheese a little uncomfortably.

"Cream! I'll save you!" Rocky yelled as he darted around the corner.

_Man kid, could you possibly be lamer?_ Jibbers thought angrily.

Cream escaped the boy in the confusion that Rocky provided, and Jibbers assumed the role of pinning her down from behind. It was touching, and it was a tad too close for comfort.

Jibbers pinched a small section of her hip, and that did it. She screamed. This infuriated Rocky, and he charged.

In an instant, Rocky threw a punch at Jibbers, and he fell down, smiling behind his mask. Rocky pushed the kid holding Cheese, freeing him, and then Cream rose to her feet.

"Are you ok?" A kid tried to punch Rocky only to get slugging by Cream.

"Damn that girl can... punch..." The boy lost consciousness.

Another two kids dropped down, and then another two.

"Shit! More?" Cream growled. Her wings flapped, and she assumed a battle stance.

"I can take them," Rocky commented, charging in ahead of Cream, only to get attacked with the swimmers by a flying kick from Cream.

"A little more," Jibbers murmured inaudibly as four more kids dropped down assuming ninja poses, ready to fight the rabbit.

"Cheese! Get 'em!" Rocky, just getting up from his knocked down status, arose to see Cheese the Chao unleash a bloody blow to his fellow swimmers. Shocked, he said and did nothing.

"Retreat! She's not worth it!" Jibbers Cried, gathering the fallen with a few extra fallen men.

Cream faked a charge as the guys fled, leaving no one behind.

"I swear, the moment I get home I'm calling the police... Mobbing aside, parties like that should be illegal." Cream sighed, patting the dust off her red skirt.

"Are you alright?" Rocky asked immediately after a cough and a wheeze.

"I'm fine." Cream responded briefly. "Sorry that I kicked you. Try to stay out of fights, ok."

_Oh my gosh! She's talking to me! Actually talking to me!_

"I knew I could take them though, they're-" immediately, his train of thought drifted as he gazed at Cream, up close this time, he was captivated.

"They're what?" Cream asked, dully.

"Oh, well they didn't look so tough, I guess."

"One had a knife..." Cream mumbled. "I'm curious though, how did you get here so fast?"

"I was-" _Don't say following,_ "leaving too. That party was too crazy for me... you know?" Rocky stammered out most of his words.

"Ah, I see. Well thanks for helping out."

Cream turned and left.

Rocky was stunned from the heart throughout. _That was it? That was all I get? No romance? No love? Not even a kiss on the cheek? This is less attraction than a steed in one of those novels!_

"That's it then?" Rocky asked, thoughtlessly.

"What, are you expecting something more?"

"Well... yeah?" Rocky's voice faltered.

"Ok... listen... Rocky, is it?" Rocky froze, his worst fears had been realized, "I know you've been watching me, and stalking me, and following me, and, I know you don't think I notice, and your intentions probably aren't bad, but it really freaks me out." Rocky's feeble heart melted, "I'm sorry. Even now, we're in the middle of a dark forest, and you've followed me out of a party that was made for your team. It's really creepy."

Rocky just stood there frozen. He was devastated.

**"If you had just asked, I would've been your friend, but... you decided to be a stalker. I'm sorry..." She was silent for a bit, just standing there in front of Rocky. "It's late... I've got to go."**

It was conceivable that it hurt her to say those words. But that didn't change that fact that she was completely in the right for saying them. Rocky was, for all it was worth, a stalker, and he needed to be wakened to this reality.

But, in comparison, Rocky was mortified. He had become the creature he swore he wasn't, a creepy stalker who came off with ill-intent towards his beloved. He scared her off! She thought he was a creep! All of that which could have been was destroyed.

He slinked his way home, not even bothering to go back to the party.

As he entered the house, he was piled with chores. He didn't do them. He miserably fell on his bed and fell asleep. There, he procrastinated his homework and drifted off to a dreary sleep.

* * *

**So, many true things.**

** 1. Described game: Euchre, rumor has it is played mainly in Michigan... if this is the case, many of you won't understand it. (Yeah, I'm from MI, what of it?)**

** 2. That really happened with Karsyn and Zach at my New Years Party this year. Albiet it was a little exagerated.**

** 3. The breakdown of Rocky is real. I once asked a girl out whom I had stalked for nearly a year, (oh yeah, I was a big time stalker, still kinda am. I consider myself retired, however, I try not to do it, if you follow,) and well, her reaction was kinda like Cream's... it was brutal.**

**More coming relativistically soon.**


	9. Unrelenting

**You guys are burning at my heels! I have never in the history of writing posted a chapter where the end of the chapter is the end of my written work (in an ongoing story.)**

**Ah, anyways, have fun with it! Irony at the end!**

* * *

The next morning was equally dreary.

As was the next, and the following, and the one after the following.

Dreary, miserable, and lonesome.

Rocky did not think. He barely could cry he was so heartbroken. He was even more devastated at the thought of how right Cream was. He merely existed.

But he forgave Cream, and still _loved_ her more and more with each passing day. However, he was completely unable to look at her in a given day. A quick glance, perhaps, could be given, but only for a minute moment, as he remembered that she could see it, somehow.

As he walked down the halls miserably, he noticed his picture on the wall of Cream, he only dejectedly walked away.

"Hey buddy!" It was Zach.

"Hey," but wasn't articulated properly, it was more or less a "Meeeeh".

"Don't let it get to you so much! There are plenty of fish in the sea, plenty!"

"No girls are better than _her_ though..." Rocky argued.

"Sure there are, what about that one?" Zach pointed to a fairly cute girl in skimpy clothes.

Subconsciously, Rocky's heart throbbed for her, but he squelched these impure thoughts, he was saving his whole heart for Cream, or so he thought.

"No."

"Then what about this cute girl? Let's go talk to her!" Zach urged, walking his teammate to the girl, and began sparking up a flirty conversation.

Rocky ignored most of it, and walked away when he got the chance, leaving Zach to flirt with her in full.

"So, have we met before?"

He was forgetting himself, as usual. Those who are forgetful are punished, and often, history repeats itself.

"Zach." Karsyn's deathly cold command froze Zach in his tracks.

See?

"I uh can explain..." Zach said it one too many times.

Rocky fled to class. Time dissolved into diving, and with diving came a weeping Karsyn.

"I just don't understand why he cheats on me so openly! Why? Why? Am I not attractive enough?"

"Karsyn, he was trying to set me up with that girl." Rocky explained.

"But why did he have to flirt with her?" She wailed.

"Hmm..." Jibbers was hovering over the two in the hot tub. "Well, I think I'll take him up on the debt he owes me. How does that sound Karsyn?"

"You pushed me into the closet with him!" Karsyn commented abruptly.

"Why yes I did! Ingenious wasn't it? Amazing what you'll do when no one's watching. Belt buckles off." Jibber's shook his head as Karsyn's turned bright red.

"It wasn't like that! Besides, I regret it now..."

"Bullshit. Now, I'm going to force you two on a date." Rocky just watched the conversation take place.

"I don't want to!"

"And that's why you should. I will force you two into a corner where you will be forced to converse with one another in a civil manner. So, I'm abducting you after practice and paying a trip into Mr. B's for the both of you. If I have to get out my handcuffs I will." He smiled. "Oh, and Rocky, you'll be coming with me."

"Wha-why?"

"Because I need company, and I haven't really spoken with you since the failure."

Rocky's face paled.

"In the mean time, keep diving." Jibbers smiled, and meandered back over to the pool, leaving Rocky and Karsyn to finish diving and extreme gymnastic routines.

* * *

"Cream the Rabbit. Forest District Schooling. I have found her." Damian laid back in his rolling chair and contemplated the reality of what he was planning.

He needed to kidnap her, and so far, he had never attempted anything excessively illegal. Kidnapping was a serious felony. Thievery was too, so stealing the girl's Chao would equally devastating.

But alas, he could not be weighed down by laws. He needed to do what needed to be done. Therefore, he would do anything necessary to complete his mission. If that meant stealing and kidnapping, then that is what he would have to resort to.

"Minions!" He called to his robots. "We need to start building a small army. We are going to kidnap this girl in the short of a week, understand? I want my flying machine funny functional. I want weapons. I also want all equipment pertaining to Chao Research fully operational."

"Understood." His few robot minions responded mechanically.

One would begin the process of building the other machines. One would work on the flying base, and the other would work on the chao research business.

* * *

Rocky found himself in a blue minivan sitting next to Jibbers. Behind him were a silent Karsyn and Zach. As the time went by, their wills slowly broke down. Jibbers smiled as he drove on, knowing that their inability to stay mad at each other would eventually filter into extremely emotional moments in the periods to come. Without a word, the van stopped in the parking lot in front of a familiar restaurant in town.

"Here is plenty of money to eat a nice meal. Go have fun, ok?"

"Hmph!"

"Huhh!" The both uttered as they left the van, unwilling to yield.

Rocky just stayed, watching them.

"Those morons... they don't know how lucky they've got it. They fight so much on little things, and do stupid things to provoke one another... You know," Jibbers turned to Rocky, "She flirts with guys too, right?"

"I kinda guessed that." Rocky admitted.

"I just don't get it. I really don't. One day, gosh, I don't know... marriage? They are really good friends outside of their relationship, but they just get so agitated with one another, they just don't understand anything. And, when I try to help them, they often say 'It's under control,' or 'let me handle it', when it is obvious that they are clueless."

Rocky nodded, absentminded as usual.

"So, onto the topic of you and Cream." Jibbers began.

"Oh gosh..."

"Don't get like that, it had to happen. So are you over her?"

"Over her? No! Absolutely no! I love her with all my heart!"

Jibbers sighed. "Listen kid, it isn't worth it. I was like you once, a bold brave, chivalrous knight." Rocky grimaced, "and I had a lovely maiden whom I tried to save. However, she never was in any danger, and only in retrospect, I was probably a greater danger to her than anyone else. Ironic, eh? Such good intentions have such sinister backgrounds..." Rocky was flattened. It was as if Jibbers _was_ him.

"That is exactly it..."

"Oh trust me, I know. And one day, I asked her out and she called me creepy. Go figure, right? I cried and cried, blah blah blah, I got over myself. Do you know why I am single?"

Rocky fought the urge to say _because you're the captain of the swim team._ "Because you don't like girls anymore?"

"I may be the captain of the swim team, but that doesn't mean I'm gay." Jibbers had a cross face on. "No, because I've just decided that this life isn't real. I'm not talking about _Inception_ bullshit or anything like that. I mean, figuratively, being a high schooler doesn't qualify as living. It's like a deluded tutorial island, ye hear me?"

"Wow... I never thought of it that way before."

Rocky's eyes were opened for the merest of moments. He had been so focused on going out with Cream that the rest of his life dissolved. Where would he be in the future? What would he do if he didn't get Cream? It was all blank, and this scared him.

Unfortunately for the preaching captain, Rocky came to the wrong conclusion. That his future was blank without Cream in it, it meant that he MUST ask out Cream.

"So relationships at this phase in your life are likely only to be destructive, especially to kids like you and me. We need to learn to be ourselves first and foremost. How can you expect to live in the world with a girl if you can't live in the world by yourself to begin with?"

"Hmm..." Rocky hummed acknowledging the statement. However, he wasn't really listening. He was fantasizing with Cream again.

"So give up on Cream, ok? She's not that nice a person anyways, leaving my party like that... hmph!"

Both were silent. Jibbers thought he made his point, and Rocky was too chicken to comment to a person in power. They remained like this until Karsyn and Zach were finished with their date.

"I don't think I can give up on Cream so easily... I mean, I deserved it for stalking her, so she wasn't really mean or anything."

Jibbers was silent. Then he sighed. Then he was silent again.

Rocky was, for the most part, oblivious to this transaction of thoughts in the mind of his captain.

"Well, I wish you good luck then. I believe that the taking of you and the moronic, feuding couple would be costly on my gas mileage."

Jibbers was bailing on them all.

"Wha- but, my home is so far away..."

"You walk to school, we aren't more than a mile from that. See you Rocky, I have to get home to my truck and novel."

Rocky sighed as he was expelled from the vehicle.

True to his maniac nature, Jibbers was out of the parking lot in seconds. Cackling a little bit as he went.

Karsyn and Zach emerged from the restaurant holding hands with smiles on their faces. Apparently they needed a date.

"Hey, where did Captain Jibbers go?" Zach asked, remembering to let go of Karsyn's hand in public. This, of course, infuriated her on the inside.

"He left us. I've got to get home, I'll see you all later." Rocky vanished as he meandered down the street towards his orphanage.

This left Zach ad Karsyn in the street, alone together. They just wandered to a park bench and sat next to each other for the next few hours.

* * *

Jibbers looked at the truck in his garage. It was almost fully refurbished. A new bumper was all he required, and he felt that adding some extra frontal protection would be beneficial to him in the future. This meant a trip to the junkyard, which he was not up to.

The computer begged at him from the corner of his bedroom.

An idea had popped into his head about four months ago, an idea that he couldn't really shake.

"I really should become a writer..."

He had all of these great ideas for stories based on his own tales of would-be-chivalry and absolutely epic fail moments. Of course, this wasn't including his own fantasies.

"I'm telling you," he told himself, "I should write a story about those video games I used to play."

He had every intention of writing an epic story hundreds of pages long detailing one of his favorite video games about a youthful knight and his childhood friend. Of course, he would also have to throw himself into this story, probably as a psychotic robot or something, but he was confident it would work, in the moment, at least.

"A time-traveling, matchmaking, psychotic god-robot. And it represents me? Jeez, that is a recipe for a Gary Stu. People would NEVER buy it!"

And therefore, the idea was scrapped.


	10. Trying Something New

**Ok, back with some new stuff! Hopefully I can get this done in time! I have ... ... ... less than six days to complete this entire story and have it up, FINISHED, by June 9th. Wish me luck! Readers who are familiar with me relaize I've never made a deadline before!**

* * *

Rocky came home to peace and quiet. This set him on edge; it was never this nice when he came home. No little kids were running around, and no Aunty Lane was there to yell at him, or to give him chores. It was a blessing from powers of the above.

While making a small meal for himself in the kitchen, he noticed a note on the refrigerator.

"_We all went out to eat, you weren't present so you lost your chance. ~Aunty Lane_"

Rocky tore the piece of paper off of the fridge and squeezed it tightly. A good day just turned terribly bad.

Because no chores needed to be done, and they had abandoned him, Rocky decided that now would be a good time to start up a few sketches and possibly a story.

He went to work immediately. Presently, he had a comic strip running about a fantasy he had been having since he met Cream. It starts out in a deranged manner, Cream being beaten and abused by an unknown force. Rocky, as himself, tried to rescue her only to be defeated terribly in front of Cream. Cream is saddened and disheartened by Rocky's demise, and she cries at his death. Her tears and his resolve combine to form an almighty power to rise from the dead and defeat Cream's oppressor for her.

The aftermath of this event, which only took the first few pages of his sketchbook, details their loving, caring relationship afterwards. Unlike the relatively short intro, this took up a good forty pages, some of which were body shots of Cream, fantasies as to what she may look like in a swimsuit, or, in some very rare pictures, naked.

As an audience, this may disturb you. Do not worry. For the type of character Rocky is, and some of you may know better than others, this is moderately normal. Just because it is normal, however, does not make it ok. It is never healthy to draw a woman naked without her consent if she exists in the corporeal world.

But, this never mattered to Rocky. He was not without guilt, of course. He panicked when he let his mind succumb to his carnal desires like that, and would often destroy the pictures that were created. The few that remained were ones that were surprisingly too good to get rid of.

Rocky opted not to work in his sketchbook in favor of working on a large picture that he had had stashed beneath his bed for some time. Again, it was a large picture of Cream, fifty percent of a life size picture. He doodled on it for a moment, erased a bit, and bit his lip.

It turned out this wasn't what he was fated to do either.

He looked at his calendar. The big swim meet between the Plains District and the Coast District was coming up. Jibbers was in a frenzy about it all week. He preached "this is what we've been training for!" The Plains District was typically a very average school. They weren't the best in anything, but they weren't the worst either. This included swimming a diving.

The kids near the coast naturally looked better and swam better than the kids of the Plain District. Jibbers made his mental state very clear to everyone. He was tired of losing to them and their incredibly fit bodies, and therefore, the swim team under Jibbers was going to do everything within legal parameters to win their matches.

That was scheduled for Thursday. Today was Tuesday. It had been four long days since Cream bashed his hopes and dreams.

Rocky needed a new plan to win her back.

_Perhaps, _he wondered as he lay on his bed, _perhaps I should just talk to her?_

This was a frightening concept. To talk to her meant awkwardness. Awkwardness was a bad thing. _But what if she- No, no no no no no. Stop right there Rocky. _He corrected himself. _No matter what, if I tell her how I feel in a calm cool, collected manner, maybe she'll understand and agree to go out with me? I'll have to ask her in person though... That will be hard, she is always talking with her new friends or someone like that, I'd have to get her alone._

Although Rocky didn't realize it, that would require stalking her.

Rocky shivered at the idea he had become determined on, and decided to work on his homework quickly to free up any extra time to sketch or write.

* * *

"Hey bro! Get over here!" Jibbers called. The captain and his brother were performing their daily rituals concerning junk sifting and gaining raw materials for their projects.

"Yeah Joe?" Dalton hobbled over a junk pile and into his brother's field of vision.

"Look at this," Jibbers said in a softer voice, no need to yell after all.

Before the captain stood a large, conical object, a groove cut into it, spiraling outwards and downwards towards the base, embedded into the trash. It was a drill.

"This looks _just_ like those drills they use on that anime show I watch." His tail literally began to wag.

"Joe..." his brother groaned, "not another one of your fanboy things..."

"It's not a fanboy thing! It's a matter of passion! Who knows, maybe this is the drill that will pierce the heavens!" He smiled wildly, pointing up into the sky.

"Don't try it."

"Help me move it." Jibbers' brother was ignored.

"Ugh..." Dalton sighed, "fine."

They had a small cart that the massive, person sized drill was rested on. That, along with a few electrical appliances, and a few almost-dead batteries, the duo skittered away to their shack on the outskirts of town to apply what they had pilfered.

* * *

"I can't put it on the truck, it'll be just too much..." Jibbers complained as he got home, the night finally taking place outside.

"You're putting it on a car?"

"Maybe the Chrismobile..." Jibbers thought expressively.

"Shouldn't you go to bed?"

"That meet is in two days, isn't it?" Jibbers asked rhetorically. "Yes it is..." He answered himself. "Well, damn. I really wanted to screw around with the epic drill."

Moping, Jibbers skulked off to bed, following his little brother.

* * *

The next morning, Rocky found himself talking to the swimmers at school.

"So no one knows where Jibbers went to?" Brett was asking the group.

"Well, he brought me here, but his car has disappeared. So, I guess he left?" Dalton told.

"But that doesn't tell us where he went, does it?"

"Does that mean swimming's canceled?"

"Absolutely not." Drake the Rabbit scowled, "he called me lieutenant for a reason, when he's gone, I take over. We'll have a small taper for tomorrow if anything."

They moved their group around slightly to accommodate a large traffic load.

_Taper... I've heard that word before... _"What's taper?" Rocky asked.

"Don't worry about it," said one.

"Oh it is this really awesome game," said another.

"Only so many people live through it." It was becoming less and less consistent.

Brett stood up. "Taper doesn't really apply to divers, but us swimmers ease up on our rigorous training to rest up for a big meet."

"Damn, it's tomorrow..." Drake muttered.

The sound of heavy panting grew louder and louder. Chris was coming.

"Man, I can't believe I made it," Chris lived far away from the school, and often had to drive his car to get to school on time. "I went through my normal routine and my car was just missing!"

Dalton raised his palm to his face muttering something violent.

"What was that?"

"My bro is at home. He stole Chris's car. Gosh, I have no idea how he managed to drive both vehicles home though..."

"What?" Many asked.

_*DING*_

All of the swimmers were late for the class.

_Man, I never knew Jibbers was a bad kid._

Rocky rushed off to class only to be confronted by the teacher.

"Rocky you're late." Rocky sighed as he heard it.

"I'm sorry."

"Is '_I'm sorry'_ all you kids say nowadays?"

Rocky was a little bit through with being picked on. "Hmm, no. There, I just said something else." Rocky took his seat, a few giggles were drawn from the class.

Rocky's hypersensitivity to targeted women allowed him to realize that Cream was one of these people who laughed. Perhaps it was because she noticed him now? Was laughter the key to her heart? _No, no, she is creeped out by me, that could never happen._

Needless to say, Rocky learned nothing at all this hour in his math class. His mind was wholly absorbed by his desire to pursue Cream actively again. Carefully, he wrote an elegant letter to Cream. It was in his finest handwriting. **(A/N: Sadly, this is based on a true story.)**

"_Dear Cream,_

_I am very sorry about creeping you out and everything that happened a few days ago... I have thought a lot about what you said about being friends, and I'd like to try that. Maybe we won't get married, but we can"_

Rocky stopped, erased, and tapped his pencil as he contemplated what to write.

"_... like to try that. Maybe we won't get married, but possibly we could still date or something like that."_

Rocky thought hard. Life, death, his very future, depended on this very moment.

"_... ~Rocky the Rabbit_"

He smiled, and rolled the paper into a small roll, neat and tidy, and he held it firmly in his palm careful not to crush this holy relic.

_So I am going to give this to her. How am I going to do this? Simple, I'm going to go up to her, call her name, hand her the letter, and run away. Simple._

Though the plan never actually changed, Rocky diligently kept thinking he modified it so that, when he would look back on it, he would feel it was the perfect plan.

* * *

Damian woke late with a start.

"What a strange dream..." He muttered. "I had a dream that girl was walking past a very peculiar tree. It was... so... vivid..." Damian held his head, aching. It was almost a compulsion. He _had_ to find that tree.

Assuming control of a small probe, he remotely flew it around. He flew it over to where he assumed her path of travel was, between her home and the school, and, after lightly treading this path for about five minutes, he found exactly the tree he was looking for.

He left out a sigh he had no idea he was withholding, and set himself further back in his chair, pondering this occurrence.

"ESP isn't real, is it?" _If so... what the hell is this?_ "Minions, prepare a trap, we will target this specific spot, understood?"

"Yes sir." His robot lackey's went to work immediately.

* * *

_*DING*_

_Ok,_ Rocky thought, _it's time to do this._ He gulped. Cream, as usual, was taking her time getting out of class.

Rocky stood still, looking at her. _What was I going to do again?_ His mind had gone completely blank. Cream was standing up now, her bags in her hands.

_Just one word... say her name... just say her name, and everything will be fine._ Doubts to this simple plan surged his mind, scaring him horribly. He was paralyzed with anxiety. He blinked, he had been standing in one spot staring Cream down for more than a minute in real life, but he barely perceived it as more than an instant.

In a moment, Cream was out the door, and he was left standing blankly in the room.

Rocky pursued silently, he _had_ to get her this letter. After all, his future simply _depended_ upon it.

Cream walked carelessly to her locker, entered her com, grabbed a few things, and left equally carelessly. She may or may not have talked to friends, Rocky didn't notice. But, he did notice that she used her locker. And he specifically noticed which locker was Cream's. It was a sense gifted to all stalkers at birth: Selective acuteness to details about stalkees.

The moment Cream left the vicinity, Rocky casually walked up to her locker, trying not to break out into a sweat. He squeezed the paper in gently through a slit at the top of the locker. When he heard a slightly clunk, he knew he job was done, and he rushed off, defeated.

* * *

The sound of electronic techno music filled the air. With each pulse of bass, the fur on the back of Jibber's neck was pressed down ever so lightly. He smiled. It was good music. Moving rather rhythmically, he toyed around with tools in front of him, attaching pieces here and there and welding this onto that. Gradually, his project was taking visible form. The stolen vehicle before him, the Chrismobile, was getting a tune-up, and the front half of it was slightly modified.

A huge drill was sticking out in front of it.

"Why?" Jibbers asked to his imaginary friend.

"The answer: Why not? Just who the hell do you think I am?" Jibbers bellowed enough laughter to almost be heard above his techno music.

In the distance, on the counter beneath the speakers, a cellular device was vibrating and lighting up. The screen read "Lil' Bro".

* * *

"Uggghh! Joe! He's probably listening to that music again..." Dalton rolled his eyes as he stormed through the hall past Zach and Karsyn, arguing again.

"I just don't want you flirting with all of those girls-" Karsyn's argument was very valid.

"Stoooop!" Zach whined, as usual. It appeared that, when he was confronted with an undeniable truth or a simple request that involved changing something about himself, he would whine and make others feel like they were the ones that needed to change, rather than himself.

They passed Rocky, who was sighing at his defeat with Cream.

This caught Zach's attention while Karsyn was trying to respond properly to his whine. He acted on it to divert the conversation.

"Hey Rocky, what's up?" He said this, holding his hand up for the shaking.

Rocky shook his hand and responded with his usual "girl troubles."

"Aw man, I hear ya."

"Hey!" Karsyn glared.

Rocky acknowledged Karsyn's distress.

"Why do you keep getting hung up by this?" Zach asked, Rocky wasn't sure what he meant.

"Huh?"

"Like, why doesn't this work for you? You know how to woo the ladies, right?"

Karsyn rolled her eyes.

"No."

"Ok, see, first things first, you've got to be yourself. You can't _try_ to impress a girl too much, because she'll notice, and that'll be awkward. Play it cool."

Karsyn's ears perked in approval and Rocky leaned forward unknowingly in silent anticipation.

"And?" He asked.

"Well, you try to make her happy, or laugh somehow. When she's laughing, she'll be easier to talk to. She'll want to talk to funny people more anyways." Zach explained with expertise.

Karsyn's eyes softened slightly, it made her happy to recollect Zach's charm.

"Ok, anything else? I mean... I'm not that funny..." Rocky admitted sheepishly.

"You've also got to be a little mean to her, it keeps her interested."

Karsyn's ears fell down, and her face fell flat.

"What?" An eyebrow rose.

Zach ignored her, continuing onwards. "You see, when you're mean, she gets all angry at you for a little bit, and go figure, she devotes all of her attention to you. When she forgets about being mad at you, she'll only remember thinking about you. It's great."

Rocky nodded absently.

"I speak from..." Zach turned, to see a dark aura forming around Karsyn, "experi-" Her teeth were grit, and she emanating ferocity. "ence... Oh dear."

Tears welled up in her angry eyes.

"ZACH!" She fled.

"But... you can't overdo it." Zach warned before chasing after her.

Rocky watched him go and reflected on his so-called words of wisdom. Perhaps they weren't wise at all.

* * *

**Trying something new, date signatures.**

**06/03/2011**

**~Joe**


	11. The Day of the Final Battle

**One more real day to write this. I have the final battle to write, and anything that follows too. I also have a party that I am hosting tomorrow. Whew! This is getting tricky! Can I do it? Can I write 2 more chapters worth of material in less than 5 hours? Only time can tell!**

* * *

School was out, and that meant it was time to swim.

The team gathered around as Jibbers sears through the parking lot in his truck, eager to make it to practice on time. In his zeal, he had managed to shut and lock the truck doors, while the vehicle was still running.

"Haha! This happens like every year!" Drake laughed. Mentally, he, and all of the swimmer, congratulated Jibbers for getting his Truck operational again.

"Yes, but this time!" Jibbers announced, climbing into the back of his truck, which was suspiciously covered by a tarp, "I have a way into the car to turn it off!" He climbed through the back window deftly and turned his vehicle off. Rather than exiting through the door, he went back out the window.

The swim team didn't bother asking. He would've come up with a clever response anyhow.

"Yes, this means that we have practice boys! Be careful about it though, not too difficult, just enough to get the blood running and the muscles moving! Too hard and you'll tire yourselves out. I want you all in peak condition tomorrow, we're taking those water bastards down!"

The confidence was overwhelming.

In a matter of minutes, the team was suited up and swimming diligently. Rocky noted the sound of thundering rapids had been reduced to a strong river. He focused to the best ability on his dives, his gymnastics helping him not smash onto his rear end, stomach, or side. But, alas, he was surrounded be external and internal distractions.

An internal was obvious, Cream the Rabbit. An external was even more obvious, Karsyn the Fox. She had curled herself into a ball, upset and seemingly alone. Tears flowed from her face gently as she mentally and partially verbally, recounted what Zach had said.

Zach, after coming to the faulty assumption that she was over-exaggerating, swam in the pool as if nothing was wrong.

Rocky noticed that, every so often, Zach would glance over to check up on her. To this, Karsyn seemed to overreact in that she would look away rather rapidly, as if she wanted a point known that she didn't want to look at him. This was rather childish, and only reinforced Zach initial assumption.

Karsyn continued to mutter how terrible Zach was, and how it shouldn't affect her ability to dive, and other self inflicting, wounding phrases that brought her esteem impossibly lower than it already was.

Rocky watched it all, and made mental notes for when he married Cream, what not to do. The first thing on his list was to never let her become upset.

Foolishly, he believed this was possible. As an audience, you should all know that it is an impossible goal to never let a woman or a man become upset. They are both stupid creatures.

Karsyn went up for a dive. Steadily, she walked to the edge and, just before she reached, she picked up speed and flipped a few times in the air. She landed on her face.

"No!" She sobbed, a female diver helped her out of the pool and into the hot tub. She rubbed her face in mild agony, she was used to this, only her pride was smashed. "I am not even a good enough diver for him..." She whined.

Instantly, the other girls in the diving area came to her side to cheer her up using classic fallacies that girls always use to cheer up their female friends. "You're too good for him," "It'll all be better with time," and, the bitter kicker, "he's just doing it because he likes you." That last one brought forth even more sobs.

Pitifully, Rocky had two hours more of it to withstand.

* * *

Joe looked at his work with wonder. Swimming had ended an hour ago, and he has decided to tamper with his creation a little bit more before bedtime. Next to his truck in his garage, the Chrismobile, equipped with a massive drill on the front, and a reinforced bumper, sat next to it.

It was beautiful, to him, at least. He weighed the pressing matters of his life, to continue his project for just a few minutes more, or go to bed like the rest of his team hypothetically was.

Vengeance and bloodlust drove him to drop his tools and scurry off to bed.

The light above the car was left on, glorifying his work for the night to awe at.

* * *

On this night, swimmers and divers prepared for the final battle, and villains prepared for sinister experiments. Both parties dreamt, and both parties dreamt of total victory.

* * *

The morning of the final battle, Damian stretched his ever fattening limbs and yawned.

Feeling the excess of skin and muscles around his body, he realized that that was one thing his father never really pursued: exercise.

"Perhaps I will swim around one day." Meandering around his captured school, he came to the miserable conclusion that there was no pool for the forest district. They were completely devoid of an aquatics center altogether.

This made Damian mad. When he discovered that they had a vast track program, _outside_ this frustrated him further.

"This is not within conceivable logic. A forest, condensed flora and foliage, should have a running program, as compared to a swimming program, when swamps are easily included in some forests, undoubtedly this one? Gah! To hell with it! I'll forgo my exercising plans and focus on more pressing matters." He said the moment he walked back into his command station.

Immediately he was thrust into action. Red lights were flashing around.

"Sir, enemies have been encroaching on our position, what shall we do?" His top advisor asked.

"Set up a perimeter immediately! Send out all forces! We must hold this base at all costs!"

"They are already passing through our gates! It's GUN!" The advisor squeaked against the building wrath of Damian Robotnik.

"Arm all guards, they MUST be pushed out!"

Sitting back in his chair, he came to another conclusion: had he not been concerned with exercising, he wouldn't have to defend his base so stressfully.

"No good can come out of that wretched activity. I hate swimmers." He growled.

* * *

Rocky, alongside all of his swimmer buddies, were sitting together at lunch. All of them were discussing the upcoming battle. Jibbers was there too. He was rather exuberant in his ravings.

"Ok! Drake! You've got to swim like it today is your birthday. Because you remember what happened on your birthday, right?" Jibbers raised an eyebrow with a smirk on his face.

Drake remembered what he did on his birthday.

"Zac, I am not concerned with your performance, just do what you do best. But, Christoph, ich will dich schnell schwimmen, du verstehst?"

"Ja, ich werde schneller als dich schwimmen." Christoph responded.

"Well well well! I like the attitude! Save it for them! Zach, how's your emotional standpoint?"

Karsyn slapped him.

"Ok, that could use some work. You two, kiss and make up, we can't have emotions stand against us today! Chris, how are you today?"

"Give me my car back you asshole."

"Oh! That's right! I finished last night, we can go pick it up right after the meet, ok?"

Chris grumbled.

"I'm going to beat you tonight Capn'." Brett the Otter proclaimed. Jibbers and Brett swam the same stroke.

"You're on sophomore. Freshmen, you know what you're doing?"

As a unit, they responded, "We won't take sixth."

Sixth is the worst place you can take in a six lane pool. It awards no points.

"Excelent! Alex, how are the girls faring?"

"We're just as thirsty as you are Joe." She said with a sparkle in her fur. A few guys winced.

"And our divers?"

"Well, I'm fine." Rocky said.

"That's great news Rocky, glad to see you're up to par today."

Jibbers looked around.

"Oh yes, today's the day. Today is the day the Coast District School loses its crown!"

Cheers came as the group finished up their small feast before the bell rang.

* * *

In the last hour of his day, Rocky decided one final plot. Emboldened by his teammate's excitement and energy, he desired to see Cream one last time. _I will dive for her_. _As if her life depended on it!_ Or, that was close enough to his thought process.

So, he wanted to tell her about the swim meet. Surely, had he been thinking properly, he would've realized that she most certainly would've heard the hundreds of announcements over the PA, or at the very least, one of them. But, he never thought clearly.

Unfortunately for Rocky, he was a little behind Cream's schedule.

* * *

Cream, was walking her bike home home. She was done with school, and very tired of it. She didn't feel like riding her bike, even though she had brought it. Ever since Tails chose Cosmo over her, she had always been mildly bitter. Tails was in love now. Cream had had suitors, boys who wanted to date her, but she turned more than most of them down. Rocky was no different, except that he couldn't take a hint.

"Chao chao..." Her companion, Cheese, mumbled. The Chao could tell she was distraught.

"He's creepy, and he's weird. End of story. Now... how am I going to get all of this homework done?" She asked allowed as she passed the tree she always passed on her route home.

"Chao!" The floating blue blob screeched as a machine lashed out and snatched it.

"CHEESE!" Cream screamed as her friend was kidnapped.

The small machine squeezed the chao into a ball and kept it locked in place with an energy field. A small chaos drive could be seen in a canister powering it. It scurried away with a small jet, flying across the plains towards the forest district in the distance.

Tossing her bike and books down, Cream flew up to its height, afraid it may fly off into the clouds. She grabbed at the machine, wrenching parts from it. Poorly constructed, the machine slowly lost its wings, limbs, and other concealing armor plates as Cream yanked at it.

Cheese, however, was not free, and the machine, too small to mount, was gaining speed, and Cream was beginning to lose her grip and energy.

A trail of parts littered the ground from the place they began their fight. Cream, with her ears, her primary limb for flight, exhausted, she fell to the ground, weeping.

"Cheese! Cheese!" Her best friend for more than ten years, had just been taken away.

She wasn't going to give up that easily. Her ears fatigued, she set off chsing it from the ground. Now hundreds of feet from her stuff and bike, she realized, none of that mattered. Cheese was real, and that Chao meant everything to her. She pursued the machine as it flew across the skies towards her old school.

* * *

Rocky followed Cream's path up until the tree. Splinters were everywhere, and evidence of a fight was omnipotent. Rocky panicked. _What if Cream is in danger?_

What a dreary thought indeed. Rocky saw the bike, the dented bike that Cream must've been thrown off in her flight from the pedophilic rapist that must've assaulted her. He got on the bike, and saw a trail of mechanical parts on the ground. From this, Rocky concluded that the pedophile drove a crappy car, and Cream's fighting gradually broke it to pieces.

He just hoped that he was fast enough to save her from being raped, for there was no other conceivable reason she would go missing.

Gallantly, he pedaled onwards to save the girl of his dreams for utter annihilation. His goal was most certainly not to save a pet that did not like him. And that pet most certainly could _not_ be a Chao.

* * *

"Where is he?" Jibbers growled. No one was ever late for a swim meet.

Punctuality was something Jibbers always strove to teach the team.

He counted heads again, to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. The meet was at home, so the enemy team from the Coast District would be there shortly to begin warm-up.

"Has anyone seen Rocky?" Jibbers growled, he wanted the team at full fighting capacity. Rocky was actually a fairly good diver. So long as he showed up and didn't miss a dive, he would actually help the team.

"I heard him say he needed to do something." A freshman spoke up.

"If he's not here in the next 10 minutes, we have to begin the warm-up and the meet without him." Jibbers checked his pocket watch and marked the time.

* * *

Rocky had been pedaling for about seven minutes, and he was exhausted. He thought only about how miserable Cream would feel when that pedophile finally got to her.

As his speed gradually reduced, he started to see a building in the distance. He'd never really been this far from the plain district, so he wasn't sure exactly what it was. He sped closer. It was a school.

_So, this pedophile wants to rape her in a school. _Rocky shuddered. No place was safe.

Rocky pedaled up to the side of the building to find a hole in a window. Obviously, because the school was closed, and the pedophile couldn't get in through any doors, he must have taken her through the window. To verify Rocky's ravings, a torn piece, barely a scratch, of Cream's red sweater was found attached to a shard of glass. This infuriated the little rabbit, and he hopped through the building.

"Cream?" Rocky whispered, hoping for an answer, he was going to be stealthy first.

* * *

Damian looked at his catch with pride. He had caught a Chao. His devices kept the chao in place as they extracted DNA and began synthesizing it for experimentation and cataloging.

The chao writhed in pain. Damian could see tears in its eyes as it wailed its one word. "Chao!"

It didn't matter. This was vengeance. It was personal. This Chao's DNA would give rise to the most powerful creation in all Mobian history.

Besides, it was only a mindless creature, a stupid critter. _Nothing more, right?_

The sound of Damian's machines made a loud hum through the air, it masked most other noises. Damian kept watching his machine, however, making sure that everything went according to plan.

It only brushed his mind to be careful. His defensive capabilities were at a minimum. GUN cut them into shred, but he did manage to repel the invaders. Their bodies lay on the ground, dirtying the place.

_But,_ he thought, _they wouldn't dare be ready for another assault yet. By the time they come around, I'll be long gone._

* * *

"So you're the famous captain Jibbers, eh?" A sly voice uttered from behind him.

Jibbers turned to see his nemesis. James. It was as if he wasn't even an animal, but a mutation of many. He had skin sleeker than a dolphin's, a body a ripped as a bear, and agility, though not obvious, to match a cat. Jibbers glared.

"It's been a long time James."

"That it has. As you can see, I and my team are ready to crush some more termites."

Jibbers eyes glared. "Yes, I can see that. Too bad we're not bugs."

Dalton winced, his brother was always lame when he shouldn't be.

James laughed, and turned. "Here that guys? They aren't bugs."

More laughter ensued.

Angrily, Jibbers conducted everyone to the locker rooms to get dressed and ready to swim.

* * *

"Cream! Cream!" Rocky shouted, hoping desperately for a response. The dead bodies on the floor, men and women alike, made Rocky realize the force of the serial rapist he and Cream were dealing with. If he wasn't fast enough, Cream could perish.

"Cream! Cream! Cre-DOP" Rocky was turned quickly as a hand reached over his mouth, smothering him. Rocky closed his eyes, _this is the end._

"Keep it down you worthless moron!" A lovely voice spat at him.

"Cream!" Rocky shouted as his eyes got really big.

_BAM_

"OW!" Before Rocky could continue, Cream was smothering him again.

"Listen, this is my school. A crazy lunatic has captured my Chao and I'm trying to get him back. You are blowing my cover. Go home."

"But I came to rescue you."

"Rescue me? Hell with it, ok, you can help me. But what the hell are you going to do? When I was a little kid, I did stuff like this all the time. You better not slow me down."

"I'm a gymnast... and a pretty good diver." Rocky explained weakily, defenseless from the raging Cream.

His alternate reality had crashed and burned. Cream wasn't really in any danger.

"I guess I can try to help..." Rocky whispered.

Cream heaved a sigh.

Glancing back and forth, she dove through the hallways silently. Rocky followed, equally as quiet, with just as much grace. Cream motioned for Rocky to stop and pointed up at the ceiling. Mounted cameras with guns attached swiveled menacingly.

Rocky's eyes bulged. "I've got it," he picked up a piece of metal from the ground.

In his mind, he saw himself using his profound physical prowess to knowck out the gun and disable the turret.

In reality, the metal stick fell short, unable to be hurled with enough accuracy or power.

Cream let loose another heavy sigh. She turned back, grabbed a gun, pointed and shot. The desired result was obtained.

The two crept through the halls until Cream could hear a loud, humming noise. Above it, she heard the screeching of ultimate pain.

Her pupils dilated, and she charged into the room.

At this point, Rocky panicked. Should he stay where he knew it was moderately safe, or should he chase after the girl of his dreams into near certain death?

He flipped out his phone and called the first person that came to mind.

* * *

"Hello?" Jibbers growled, he had just put on his swimsuit.

"Captain this is Rocky!" The sound of loud machines could be heard in the background.

Jibber's fangs barred and he responded, "Rocky, where the hell-"

"There's no time! I'm going to die! Cream's here, we're in the Forest Distric School! There is something wrong- AAUGGH! Wh-who is that?"

"Get out of my school," a snappy voice cut in, "Both of you!"

"Don't you TOUCH HER!" The sound of the phone dropping was heard.

_*BANG*_

_SISSSSSSSSSSSSS_

_BOOM_

"C'mon! Rocky! Let's GET OUT OF HERE!"

"FULL LOCKDOWN! MAKE SURE THEY DON'T ESCAPE! ALL TURRETS ON! SHOOT TO KILL! Now I probably should remove that DNA and store it safely on my ship... better save my data than risk a full crash... What is this? A phone? Bah!"

The connection died with the sound of stomping.

Jibbers dropped his phone, ears perked in high alert.

"Who was that?" Drake asked.

Jibbers just stared off into the distance, formulating.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNN**

**Ok, wish me luck, speed writing ftw.**

**OH YES! Date and stuff.**

**06/07/2011**

**~Joe**


	12. The Final Battle

**"RUNNING RIOT!" So yeah, I am writing at a speed I haven't written at since before my crash after SoL.7 This really is fantastic, but I wish I could create a little more quality work. Perhaps it would come to me if I changed venues? Ah, you just want the story!**

* * *

Slowly, the garage door was opened. As light filtered in, swimmers, still donning their speedos for the most part, could be viewed in silloutte form,

"JOE WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY CAR?" Chris screamed.

"It's ok, it's ok. It might prove useful. So, grad this walkie talkie, we're going to have to keep in touch somehow. Alex, you drive the Van, and cram as many people into it as you can, make sure they have weapons. Brett, Zac, Christoph, you go with Chris in his augmented machine, bring good weapons. We're infiltrating a base to save Rocky and his lady friend. I won't have a teammate die on my watch!" Jibbers held his pocketwatch up, as if to prove a point. "Everyone comes back alive and well. We strike fast. These cars are strong and quick, and have more than enough gas to get us there and back in less than two minutes. If we go fast enough- uhh... Drake," Jibbers looked at the one member of the team caught with his pants down when the order was made to get to his place as quickly as possible. Most had ridden in the back of his truck, grasping onto the tarp. "Where are your pants?"

"You called, I came." A scarcely seen appendage was seen between his legs. One girl fainted.

"Are you sure you don't want to put something on?"

"Quick captain, we're wasting time!"

"Ok then! He'll get shotgun in the van!"

Alex smiled wickedly.

* * *

Rocky and Cream ran wildly through the halls. Turrets dropped from the ceiling and shot at them, occasionally nicking their fur. They ran into a science lab and locked the doors. No turrets in there, but the sound of robot footsteps came closer and closer. Rocky was sweating up a storm. He was both scared and panicked. He'd never done anything so dangerous before in his life.

"Ow..." Cream whimpered strongly letting loose another gasp of air. She let go of her leg which she had been holding. A bullet hole could be found within it, fairly deep, moderately damaging.

"OH MY GOSH!" Rocky, a virgin in all regards, had never seen a bullet wound before.

"I'll be fine." Cream grit her teeth, pulled a part of her vest off and wrapped it tightly around her leg.

"But, you can't run."

"I said I'll be _fine._" She growled.

Rocky stopped his train of thought and look around. They were on the second floor of the building. The drop was steep, they couldn't go out the window, and Cream was fatigued. The only way out was through the door they had come, and the robots were obviously getting closer.

"We're doomed..." Rocky whimpered as he looked at the window.

Cream cradled Cheese. The Chao wasn't looking very well. He was probably dying. "To think it's you of all the damned people in the world..." Cream rolled her eyes.

Rocky didn't turn to look at her for once. He just kept staring out the window.

"What the hell?" he asked in a hushed tone. Three or four vehicles could be seen on the horizon, gaining speed and heading towards the building fast.

"What? What is it?"

"I don't... OH MY GOSH! IT'S MY TEAM!"

* * *

With the banner of the Plains District Swim Team emblazoned on a flag sticking out of the Captain's Truck, the battalion of swimmers ploughed closer to the building.

"Dalton, I'm about to get rid of the tarp." Jibbers said. He grabbed for his walkie talkie.

"Alex, you and Katie go in front of me. I am assuming they will shoot at us. I want to tank them away, keep the threat on me, while you guys can seep in and destroy any dangers you find. Use the doors, use some of my pipe bombs to blast through any blocked doors."

"Got it." Alex and Katie responded, the two vans gaining in speed.

Dalton climbed out onto the back of the truck, grabbing on tightly, and Jibbers pressed a button on the dashboard of his truck. With a small bang, the tarp exploded off, and a large gun began to unfold in the back. Dalton mounted the gun, and strapped himself in. A small target marker appeared on the long-barreled gun as Dalton grabbed the controls. He pulled the trigger, and a barrage of lasers and chain gun buttles streamed from the turret.

"YES! THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME!" Dalton screamed above the roar of the gun.

Jibbers began making a figure eight to fire at the building, and sure enough, guns did appear and start firing at them.

* * *

Alex and Katie had dropped the infrantry off at the front door. In a minute, they had blasted through the doors and stormed through. Like a wave, they purged the school of anything they encountered, moving in a large pack. Drake led this charge, or rather, a certain appendage swaying with each movement led the charge, and everyone including Drake followed.

* * *

A glint in Jibbers' eye caught his concentration. He was being signaled.

"Chris, someone is signaling me from the upper floor, I think its Rocky. It's the seventh from the right of the building. I see a stairwell nearby, I think you should go to it."

"Use this stupid drill?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Yeah! Let's do it!" Zac and Brett cheered.

"Ok, here goes." Chris flipped a switch on the inside of his car, which had previous been in the back. Slowly the drill began speeding up. In about 30 seconds, it had reached its maximum speed. The Chrismobile had not yet, it was still at 90 miles per hour. The building was closing in. He was going to ram it.

"Dude, you've got to say it." Jibbers said, watching.

"No! It's dumb!" Chris said. 100 feet remained.

"DO IT!"

Chris caved, "MY DRILL IS THE DRILL THAT WILL PIERCE THE HEAVENS!"

On this team, _everyone_ was a fanboy of _that_ anime show.

_BOOM!_

In a phallic demonstration of power, Chris's car remained undamaged as it burst through the side of the school. He actually broke through two rooms, and flattened a robot.

The next moment was quick. Zac, Brett, and Christoph burst from the car with their small rifles and they charged the stairwell. Brett and Christoph led the way, and Zac walked backwards behind them, making sure that no one followed. Chris remained in the vehicle with its spinning drill, trying to turn around in the extremely tight quarters.

* * *

Rocky helped Cream up, and let her lean on his shoulder. He opened the door, and peaked out. The robots were distracted with something else, but still looking in his direction. In a moment, they fired, and he retreated with Cream. This gave the distraction time to react, in which the distraction, maybe plural, blasted the robots to smitherines.

"Zac! Brett! Christoph! You are all here!" Rocky cheered, handing Cream and Cheese to Zac.

"Trust me, I'm a doctor." No one understood.

Brett rushed Zac and Rocky out while Christoph lingered behind a moment, taking Zac's weapon and shooting as he backed up.

With precision, they made it back to the Chrismobile, which was already turned around. In another explosion, the group burst from the school, heading back to Jibbers and his homemade Warthog.

* * *

Damian growled furiously. He looked at the camera. Men in speedos and girls in one pieces.

"Swimmers! I just said I hated swimmers and this freaking proves it!"

"Sir! The intruders have breached all levels, our weakened security systems were no match for them."

Damian punched his lackey.

"EVERYONE TO THE AIRSHIP NOW! We're evacuating!" Damian was only a few steps from his ship, the DNA already packaged for analysis inside.

The Gym's roof slowly began to open, and the turbines of his ship began their startup.

* * *

"All of you! Get out of there, something's happening." Jibbers declared.

Alex and Katie got back into their vans and the swimmers piled in as hastily as they had entered. Within a minute of being ordered, the two were already in full retreat.

Chris followed suit, and Jibbers, hesitantly after. His brother took a few shots at the large construct entering the atmosphere. Whatever it was, it was gone.

And with that, the final battle reached its conclusion.

"Rocky, you alright?" Jibbers asked to Chris's car.

"Yeah, but, didn't we miss the swim meet?"

Jibbers was slow to respond, "Bah... it doesn't matter. What one of us does, all of us do. We're a team, right? We'll stand by you and help you in everything you do. That is what being a part of a team is all about. Brotherhood. We're a family. So what if we forfeited against the Coast District? Who are we if we can't stand together as a team? We're not a team without you in it."

Everyone heard the speech, and everyone took it in pridefully.

"Now, Katie, Alex, send our swimmers back to the locker room to get decent, Drake, and Chris, you follow me to the hospital, we need to get Rocky and Cream looked at."

"But I said I was fine-"

"You also charged into a school-turned-evil-base. I'm not sending you in for wounds, I'm sending you in for a catscan." And that was the end of it.

* * *

**So yeah! I am finishing it off with at least one more chapter. I may make some fluff in the end, so the next one will probably be pretty long or broken into two.**

**06/07/2011**

**~Joe**


	13. Presumably

**Ok, not really feeling the fluff. Taismo 145, this bit is for you. Karsyn, this bit is also for you. Also to Taismo145, I have set up a nice little universe for you to write about your Rocky and Cream from now onwards, so I hope you pursue it, I probably will not be able to.**

**Without further ado, CLOSING CHAPTER!**

* * *

Rocky was sitting on a white bed covered in a hospital gown. He was looked at only physically, no catscans.

"You're free to go Rocky." A lovely nurse told him.

He got up and went to Cream's room, make sure she was still ok. When he got there, he hesitated. _Does she really want to see me?_ Rocky rapped on the door anyways, hoping she'd shoo him away, and he would be spared the embarrassment.

"Come in..." Cream's voice came hesitantly and low.

"Hi Cream, are you-" Rocky looked at the Chao that they charged in for, it was shriveled and pale. "Oh no..." Rocky fell to his knees.

Cream had tears in her eyes. "I'm just glad I got to be there for him. He was reaching the end of his life anyways... I'm just really glad I got to save him once last time." A tear rolled down her face.

Rocky didn't honestly know what to do. He wanted to comfort her. But what would he say? You could always get a new Chao? No, that'd be bad. It's ok? It was certainly _not_ ok though.

"I'm sorry..."

"It isn't your fault." Rocky walked closer to see the Chao up close.

"What happened?"

"I don't know... but that Eggman imposter is going to pay one way or another..." Cream spat through her tears.

"Gosh... I don't know, this is too much."

Cream paused for a moment, "you know, if anything," Cream choked up at the words, "I should probably be thanking you." Cream leaned forwards and gave Rocky a peck on the cheek. He flustered and turned red. "if it weren't for you at that last moment in the room, I would've been shot, and I never would've freed Cheese. Even though he died, I still got to save him..." Cream half smiled.

"Cream..." Rocky leaned in for a hug.

"Don't push it." Cream warned.

"Ok."

"Cream," a tall, slender rabbit entered the room.

"Mom."

"Cream's mom!" Rocky blushed, "I'll leave." He slowly began his retreat.

"Well that's rude." Cream remarked, Vanilla observed carefully. Rocky froze and turned, "You save my life and don't even confront my mother about it?"

"Well..."

"You saved her life? What happened?"

And so the storytelling began.

* * *

Jibbers grudgingly agreed to remove the drill off of Chris's car. He was in his garage when an interloper appeared.

Drake entered the room and walked straight up to Jibbers.

"Drake, Hell-oh. You didn't get dressed up?"

"Give me a hug!"

"I'd rather-" Drake hugged him anyways, fully nude. "Ok then, guess I have no choice."

"We did it man! We were awesome!"

"Yes we were Drake, now if you'll let me go from your nudeness, I can finish working on Chris's car."

"Man, you're NO fun!" Drake exited the garage and partied his way back to the school, a good mile away at the least.

* * *

"Wow!" Vanilla marvled at the tale. "You must have some fantastic parents."

"No... they both left me at birth, I'm an orphan."

"Say, Rocky, would you like a home?"

Teenagers never got picked.

"Most certainly!"

"Mom!" Cream whined.

"Now honey, it is the least we can do. He saved your life, so we must provide the best we can for him."

"Wait... whaaaa?" It only just dawned on Rocky what was happening. Cream's mom was adopting him.

"But he was creeping on me!"

"Oh, this is _that_ boy too?" Vanilla put on a scowl in deliberation. "Well... I'll install a lock on your door, and who knows, maybe you'll grow to like one another? I personally think he's rather handsome, to some degree."

"Ms. Vanilla..." Rocky shivered.

"Now, I'll adopt you first thing tomorrow. You'll get your own room, and everything." Vanilla left the room with haste, she had much planning to do.

"I'll never think of you as a brother." Cream huffed.

"Well, I probably won't think of you as a sister." Rocky admitted.

Cream stopped for a moment and chuckled at the implications behind that sentence. Rocky's eyes bulged. "No! I didn't mean it like that! Well... I did! But! Ack!" Rocky covered his mouth.

"Well, you are kinda funny. Maybe you aren't such a bad kid after all. After I get out of the hospital, do you want to celebrate? For Cheese?"

"Uh... like a da-"

"I didn't say that!" Cream glared, "If we're brother and sister, we can't date." She winked.

Rocky tilted his head, grappling to terms with what was going on.

It _was_ a date!

"Sure." Rocky winked back, a little unsure.

Cream smiled, rolling her eyes. She felt like she was out of her mind.

* * *

THREE MONTHS LATER

* * *

"Welcome to the Captain Jibbers Graduation Party!" Jibbers cheered. He somehow managed to save enough money to pull off this event.

There was food, jousting, a large, custom-built pool that he had used for training in the summer, and parties inside the house.

Cream and Rocky entered, hand in hand.

Secretly, the two had been together for about a month now. Not much happened, especially at home where they pretended to be indifferent towards one another.

For Rocky, life was great.

"To the let you see the inflatables!" Jibbers announced, pointing to the jousting arena. There, Chris and Christoph could be found whacking one another to death, trying to claim dominance over the other. Jibbers rushed past them into the house where the real festivities were about to begin.

In the catacombs of the house, past the euchre tournaments and the food distributaries, the swimmers had their den. A couple of the team members, guys and girls alike, including Brett and Drake, were the first thing anyone saw in this lawless section of Jibber's kingdom. They were playing what appeared to be strip euchre. This was discerned from their ever lack of clothing.

Going further, Cream and Rocky saw Karsyn and Zach, sitting together kissing gently. Whispers similar to "I love you" were heard floating from the smooching couple.

They were in a good mood too.

At the very end of the hallway, Jibbers stood, talking to Zac about something of serious importance. A kickboard stood erected with a light shining on it. Signatures of everyone on the team could be found, giving their goodbyes to their beloved friend and Captain.

Everything was in high spirits though. No one was sad, everyone was rather joyous. Ever since their triumph at the forest district school, life had been great. Rocky moved districts, and the lack of a pool allowed him to be grandfathered in to the Plain District's team for diving. The school was renovated over the summer, and class began in another three months.

The swim team had banded together enough to conquer the regionals title, and beat the Coast District in their own pool in a rematch.

Rocky and Cream signed Jibber's kickboard with grins on their face, because it was his fault they ended up together in the first place.

Walking back down the hall, they took a seat next to Karsyn and Zach. Gently, their lips pressed together, as hoots from the strip-euchre table erupted. Their tongues mingled and they decided that, for this moment in time, life was good.

Those two couples, presumably, lived happily every after.

* * *

**AND THAT IS THE END OF IT!**

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY KARSYN!**

**BOO FREAKING YA!**

**06/07/2011**

**~Joe**

**THE END**


End file.
